Of Magic and Misery
by spaztronaut
Summary: Can Sydney overcome all of her Alchemist training and learn to live her life the way she wants to live it? Even if that means leaving everything she's ever known and believed behind? Takes place after the first chapter of The Indigo Spell.
1. Chapter 1

**Richelle Mead owns both the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.**

**Okay, this is my first _Bloodlines_ fanfic. After reading the first chapter of _The Indigo Spell_ I just had so many ideas, I had to write them down. This story takes place after the first chapter of _The Indigo Spell_. I briefly explain a little of what went down in it, but there aren't a lot of spoilers if your against that sort of thing. Just the basic gist of what happened. So, here you go. I hope you enjoy it :)**

"Miss Melbourne," a voice said from behind my shoulder. I didn't turn to look at the woman speaking to me. I really didn't want to acknowledge her at all. But something told me ignoring her wasn't going to make all of this go away.

I took a deep breath, and immediately regretted it. The smell of incense assaulted me and I sort of felt like gagging. Instead, the polite, obedient girl inside of me said, "Yes, ma'am?"

Ms. Terwilliger came around the table to inspect my work. Herbs in glass jars littered the counter top and that horrible incense was burning in a small brass dish directly in front of me. Unfortunately, this particular spell called for the awful smelling smoke to be lit throughout the process, so there wasn't much I could do about it. Ms. Terwilliger eyed the silver dish full of herbs I had just finished grinding with a smug look on her face.

"Yes, that's good. Now," she spun around, looking for something. Her eyes settled on an old wooden box on one of the cluttered shelves. The first time I visited her house she'd told me that her magic room was messy but I'd be able to find everything I needed easily enough. It was true, everything was sorted, and easily identifiable, but still... The room could have used a good reorganization. Honestly, I'd rather be reorganizing all of her herbs and candles and weird witchy objects than trying to actually practice magic.

Ms. Terwilliger knew how much I hated magic, mostly because I'd let her know how I felt in no uncertain terms, but she was so adamant that I needed to learn. A few days ago she'd dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night to cast a spell. I'd been forced to agree because she said that only a virgin could cast this particular spell, and unfortunately for me, I happen to be the only virgin in Palm Springs capable of such a feat. Or so Ms. Terwilliger tells me.

The spell had gone well, unlike the last time I'd tried to cast one. I'd fainted from a sudden drop in blood sugar. But this time it had been much easier for me. I still wasn't sure to be thankful for that or not. I didn't like the idea of using magic at all, it wasn't right, but I had and I'd done it well enough that I'd managed to locate Ms. Terwiliger's sister. She was in a quaint little neighborhood in L.A., a fact that didn't exactly please Ms. Terwilliger.

Since then she's been forcing me to practice "my craft" for my own protection, she claims. And something about the look in her eyes tells me she really is concerned about my welfare, that I really do need protection. It's absolutely grueling and awful and wrong, but occasionally, I find myself enjoying the learning process. It's a puzzle, something for me to think about. And it's been a very good distraction lately.

The gang in Palm Springs hasn't been on the best footing these past couple weeks. Eddie and Angeline have been awkwardly trying to date, but it's difficult because everyone at school thinks they're cousins. They've borrowed my car a few times to try to go out away from school, but I think neither of them like being away from Jill for very long. Honestly, I don't like the idea of them being away from Jill for that long either. Not that Jill really wants either of them around, as of late, anyway.

Poor Jill. Not only is she the last Dragomir princess, forced into hiding for her own safety, but now she has to deal with the added problem of the boy she likes dating her roommate. Plus, ever since she broke up with Micah, her newly formed school friends haven't been all that friendly. She still hangs out with a few of them, but I've heard a few nasty comments around the dorm. I feel really bad about it, but there isn't much I can do, especially since Jill has been so hot and cold with me lately. Sometimes she'll be her normal self, if a little sad or moody, but then other times she acts like she hates me. It's all part of the spirit bond that formed between her and Adrian when he saved her life a few months ago, I know, but it's still hard to deal with sometimes.

Especially, because of Adrian. Sometimes, in her fits of fury, Jill will start channeling Adrian. That's when it's the hardest to deal with her, because when she starts talking about Adrian, it's impossible for me not to remember the kiss. It's hard enough for me to stop thinking about it normally, but when she starts defending him, or tells me how miserable I've made him... The guilt is almost overwhelming. So is the anger.

How dare he think he's the only one suffering! Doesn't he understand that he was the one who ruined everything? Because of him, the easy friendship we had been building the last couple of months came crashing down all around us, destroying everything in its wake. It's unfair! But then I see his green eyes flash in my direction and the guilt hits again. He avoids me as much as possible now, and when he can't he just sits silently and watches—

"Sydney!" Ms. Terwilliger said firmly, bringing me back to the present. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts. Something that's been happening more and more often lately. "Have you heard a word I've said?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am." I shook all thoughts of Adrian away for the time being, determined to concentrate on the simple oak box she'd placed before me.

She sighed, but launched into her explanation once again. "You must place the mixture into this box and trap some of the smoke in with it. Take it with you and place it in your bedroom, by your bed. It should help keep anyone from being able to sense where your staying."

"That seems simple enough," I said, lifting the silver dish to dump the herbs into the box.

"I've told you," she said. "The more prep time the less mental skill is needed. Although, you did have to concentrate while mixing the herbs, so it wasn't totally devoid of mental power."

"So, I shouldn't be completely drained after this spell?" I asked. Besides firmly believing witchcraft is wrong, the worst part of all this is how exhausted and enervated I feel afterwards. Ms. Terwilliger always supplies lots of orange juice and crackers for me and tells me to rest. I feel like all I ever do anymore is eat carbs and sugar and then pass out. I'm going to end up putting on weight if I don't get a handle on this soon. Between Ms. Terwilliger's magic boot camp and school work I barely have time to exercise as it is.

At least things have calmed down a bit on the Alchemist front. Ever since the Warriors of Light left town there haven't been anymore attacks or strange occurrences which I'm thankful for. Having to worry about my friends being decapitated every time they leave their houses can get a little taxing. Everything has seemingly gone back to normal, aside from all the infighting in our little "family", but the Alchemists don't care about things like that. In fact, they'd question why _I_ would care about something like that.

Ms. Terwilliger took the finished box from me and examined it. "When you get back to your dorm, say the incantation over the box and place it by your bed. Don't remove it from that spot. Not even to dust it!" She gave me a look like she thought I might argue. I didn't. After everything that's happened in the past few weeks, a little dust doesn't even cause a blip on my radar. Not when the alternative is being ambushed at school by my history teacher's crazy witch sister.

"Ms. Terwilliger?" I asked hesitantly. She didn't answer my question the last few dozen times I've asked, but I had to try again. I needed to know. "What do you think your sister is doing in L.A.?"

Ms. Terwilliger took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I might have thought she was irritated that I'd asked yet again, but then she shook her head and looked toward her feet. She was wearing leather sandals, and had painted her toes a vivid cerulean blue. "I wish I knew, Sydney. I've told you, I haven't seen her in years, but I know her. She's too close to Palm Springs for it to be a coincidence. She's after something, and when she sets her mind on something she'll do anything to get it." Ms. Terwilliger looked up at me then. "Your skill is improving everyday, but it's not enough. I've shown you ways to shield yourself, and it's been helpful, but you need to learn offensive spells as well."

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. After being attacked by Trey and the Warriors in the alley with Sonya, all I wanted was to learn how to protect myself. But now, hearing her tell me I needed to learn to fight using magic, I wanted nothing to do with it.

She must have noticed my reaction. "Sydney," she said gently, like you would to a frightened animal to keep them from darting away, "my sister, Genevieve... she'll take what she wants. And what she wants is power. It's what she's always wanted. And, my dear, you have power. If she finds you and you can't defend yourself... well. It would be best that it didn't come to that."

Why would her sister want my power? How could I have that much power that someone would want it in the first place? It didn't seem feasible to me. Ms. Terwilliger was a thousand times more powerful than me, and if her sister was even half that powerful there was no reason for her to want me. But I suspected that Ms. Terwilliger was right. Her sister would come after me if she had a chance, and I didn't want to be helpless when it happened.

Ms. Terwilliger shot me a look like she was trying to decipher what I was thinking. After a few seconds she said, "Tomorrow? Training. Bright and early."

I felt for the small gold cross around my neck. I had a bad feeling about this. The Alchemists weren't going to like this if they found out. But, it wasn't my fault I was born with some sort of strange human affinity for magic, and if I could use it to protect myself why shouldn't I?

I nodded to Ms. Terwilliger. "Okay. Tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

**Richelle Mead owns the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.**

**Hopefully you guys like this one. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. I think the next couple chapters will be better though :)**

I was out of the dorms before the cafeteria even opened for breakfast, which might have been a little earlier than Ms. Terwilliger was expecting me, but I didn't care. She wanted me to learn magic, she could wake up early on a Saturday morning. Despite the little thrill I got when I saw her standing at her front door, sleepy eyed and grumbling, annoying Ms. Terwilliger wasn't the reason I decided magic practice was worth getting up early. To be honest, I was avoiding Jill.

She was always grumpier on the days when we were going to see Adrian, which I found odd since she looked forward to seeing him. I suspected her seeing him wasn't the problem, I think it had more to do with _him_ seeing _me_. So, to deflect Jill's hostility for at least a little while longer, I threw myself into magic practice.

Even though I'd gotten there early, Ms. Terwilliger had me practice well into the afternoon. She was teaching me offensive spells just like she'd said, and it was taking me longer to grasp than I thought it would. She said I was doing fine, that I was learning very quickly for someone who had never even known she could use magic, but it was still very discouraging. It took me most of the day to learn one spell, a spell that temporarily blinded it's victims, and once I managed it I was too worn out to even try it a second time.

The spell called for a great deal of mental power and it left me frazzled and out of sorts. So much so that when Ms. Terwilliger put a plate of pasta in front of me I ate the whole thing. And downed two glasses of orange juice. The nagging voice in my head that said that was too much starch and sugar didn't even faze me, which should have worried me, but for some reason it didn't.

I'd been having a hard time with foods lately, and not only because ever since I started working with Ms. Terwilliger regularly I'd been eating more. Right before... the incident with Adrian, he'd told me I didn't have to keep on top of my diet the way I normally did. In fact, he'd told me I should gain a few pounds. He was the only person to ever call me out on my eating habits and ever since I've found myself thinking about it every time I try to eat. The voice in my head that told me when something was unhealthy for me suddenly had a rival. Adrian's voice in the back of my mind telling me it was okay.

_...I'm telling you, you don't have to do it._

His voice didn't usually win out, but... it was there. Which was frightening in itself. I already had Adrian's heartbroken eyes burned into my mind, I didn't need his voice in my head too.

By the time I left Ms. Terwilliger's I was exhausted and she'd made me promise to go back to the dorms and get some rest, but I didn't have time for a nap. I needed to take Jill, Eddie and Angeline over to Adrian's apartment. Jill wanted to talk to Adrian about how to control the bond between them. I had agreed to the visit because controlling their bond was important, but I think having the company was good for the both of them too. The bond let Jill see into Adrian's mind and connected them in an intimate way, but because of that connection Jill also absorbed Adrian's moods. And Adrian hadn't been in the best of moods recently. But he always perked up around Jill. And he always tried harder when he saw the way his moods were affecting her.

I pulled up outside the girl's dorms just in time to see Angeline and Jill meeting Eddie. When they saw me, they hurried over and hopped in the car without a word. Jill looked upset, but I couldn't tell if it was directed at me or not. Everyone seemed to feel the tension, because Eddie and Angeline weren't chatting as they normally would. It wasn't until we were halfway to Adrian's that Eddie finally broke the silence.

"So, Sydney," he drawled, seeming like he was searching for something to talk about. He looked uncomfortable. Maybe Jill's anger wasn't directed at me this time after all. "Where were you this morning? We couldn't find you at breakfast."

Jill made a noise in her throat, something that sounded like a scoff, but continued staring out the window.

"I was doing some extra work for Ms. Terwilliger," I said in way of explanation. "You know how she is."

Eddie nodded his head. He was in Ms. Terwilliger's history class with me and knew I ran errands for her all the time, so it wasn't a stretch for him to believe I'd been running one this morning. But, of course, that was a lie.

I felt bad for lying to him. I knew I could trust Eddie, but this... this wasn't something I could just discuss with him. With any of them. It wasn't something I wanted to discuss with anyone.

_Liar_, I told myself. _You do want to discuss it with someone. It's all you want._

I shook my head slightly to make the voice go away. It was right, though. I did want to discuss it with someone. But Eddie, Jill and Angeline didn't know about my aptitude with magic. The only one who did was Adrian, and I certainly couldn't discuss it with him, even though I desperately wanted to. I'd even found myself wanting to call him a number of times since Ms. Terwilliger began training me, but then I'd remember that Adrian and I didn't have that kind of relationship anymore. Now we were awkward and formal, a huge contrast to the easy, joking banter we used to share.

I found myself still thinking about Adrian when we pulled up in front of his apartment ten minutes later. His car was out front and I pulled Latte up behind it. A gorgeous 1967 Mustang convertible. Painted in Springtime Yellow. It was a classic and drove beautifully, and I wasn't ashamed to say I missed the car almost as much as I had Adrian. Although, I probably shouldn't be missing either. It wasn't exactly procedure for an Alchemist to miss a vampire. Or his car.

Jill leapt from the backseat almost before I had put the car into park. Eddie and Angeline both jumped out and followed her up to the door. I briefly debated driving away, going to Spencer's for a coffee, which I desperately needed, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I sighed and got out of the car. I wanted to see Adrian as much as Jill did.

Adrian answered the door immediately. He must have heard us pull up, because Jill hadn't even knocked yet. Jill rushed forward to give him a hug and clung to his shirt for a minute. Adrian's expression was a mix between confusion and guilt, but he didn't say anything to her. Or us. Eddie frowned at Jill's back and Angeline just stood their watching the exchange with a blank expression. I was suddenly aware of Angeline's silence. Even when Jill was angry or depressed or hungover, Angeline never stayed quiet for long. But now it was almost as if Angeline were mad at Jill. I'd have to speak to her about it later.

When Jill finally released Adrian and stepped passed him into the living room, Eddie and Angeline followed. Leaving me standing outside with Adrian between me and the comfort of his yellow walls and ugly plaid couch. He looked at me with those haunted green eyes and I suddenly felt like crying. I was too tired to deal with this. I should have left when I had the chance.

"Sage," he said brusquely and stepped out of the way so I could walk by him. He looked good, not that he didn't always look good. It was almost irritating how attractive he was, especially because now I couldn't help thinking about it all the time. His hair was disheveled in that purposeful way as usual and he was wearing dark jeans and a gray T-shirt with paint splatters all over them. As I passed him I could smell his cologne, and it reminded me of things I needed to forget. But, even with the onslaught of memories, I still noticed the absence of cigarette smoke or the smell of alcohol clinging to him. He hadn't been drinking. Or even smoking.

I looked up at him in surprise, but the moment our eyes met he turned away. I swallowed down all of my questions and went to sit on the couch. Adrian turned and walked into the kitchen with Jill without saying a word to me. They each took a seat at the table. Eddie sat near them, but didn't comment as they started talking in hushed voices. I kind of wanted to go sit with them so I could hear, but figured that wouldn't go over very well.

Stifling a yawn, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and began checking my email. There was a forward from Angeline that I immediately deleted, and a quick update from Stanton that said that the Moroi Court was still working on the Hereditary Laws. Like I didn't already know that. If they'd passed them the Alchemists would have already pulled me out of Palm Springs. The most interesting thing in my inbox was an email from my sister Carly. The subject line only said: Hey. I was just about to click it when Angeline caught my attention. She had been walking around the living room, studying the paintings Adrian had been working on before we arrived, but now she stopped in front of one and waved me over.

I put my phone down on the coffee table and forced myself up off the couch. I must have been more tired than I had originally thought, because it felt like I'd just run up an entire flight of stairs by the time I was standing next to Angeline. She was staring at a painting of a girl locked inside a cage. The girl looked like she was scared to death, but she was just sitting there calmly, making no attempt to escape. I didn't understand the symbolism, but for some reason I hoped that this painting wasn't the reason Angeline called me over.

"What's up with Jill?" she asked, with no preamble at all.

I was dumbfounded. I had been wanting to ask her the same thing. I told her as much and she frowned.

"Hmm. I had hoped maybe you would know." She twisted a lock of strawberry blonde hair around her finger and squinted at the caged girl without really seeing her at all. "She was so mad today at breakfast and she wouldn't tell me why when I asked her about it. I mean, she was okay at first. But when Eddie and I started talking about going to a movie this weekend she just sorta... came unglued. She was rambling about nothing at all. She even said..." Her voice had been growing with her agitation, but then she lowered it and went on,"...well." She sent Jill a look out of the corner of her eye, then shook her head slightly. When she looked back at me she seemed concerned. "Eddie thinks it's the spirit darkness. I hope her and Adrian figure out how to block her out soon, because it's making her miserable."

I bit my lip and looked over toward Eddie, Adrian and Jill, all sitting around the kitchen table. Eddie might have been dating Angeline now, but he still looked at Jill like she was the world to him. It was almost incredible that Angeline didn't see it, but maybe I just knew what to look for. His gaze was locked on her face and his eyebrows were drawn together in concern. He was worried about her, just like Angeline. But neither of them could see that their dating was a big part of why Jill was upset. I can only imagine, with everything else going on in her life, that hearing Eddie talking about going out with another girl would be torturous. I felt my gaze drifting toward Adrian and I forced myself to look away before I could think about other torturous things.

I couldn't help but feel guilty about Jill's feelings for Eddie. I did, after all, encourage her crush by telling her he was interested in her. _But_, a voice said, _he was interested in her. How were you to know he would go for Angeline?_

"You sure she hasn't said anything to you about it?" Angeline prodded. I shook my head and she continued. "It's just, she's been so sad lately. And she's been mad at you, mad at me, even mad at _Eddie_. Jill _never_ gets mad at Eddie," she said, as if that fact alone was more than enough evidence that something was weird with Jill. "And Adrian's been down too. More than usual, so I was just wondering if you knew what had happened."

My eyes darted toward the kitchen without my permission, but I forced them back to Angeline's gaze. "Why would I know?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound guilty. I shouldn't feel guilty, but, I mean, Jill's misery _was_ sort of my fault.

Angeline shrugged and said, "I don't know. You just seem to know everything." Then she went into the kitchen and joined everyone at the table.

I couldn't help but think how little I actually knew as I sat back down on the couch and closed my eyes. Relationships only seemed to make everyone miserable, so why did everyone want to be in one all the time? I felt horrible for my friends and their botched relationships. Eddie liked Jill, Angeline liked Eddie, and now Jill finally realized she liked Eddie, but it was too late! I couldn't help but feel like Eddie was settling for Angeline because it was easier than fighting for Jill, but it wasn't any of my business and I didn't want to have Eddie mad at me too, so I kept out of it. Besides, what did I know about it anyway. The guy who liked me wouldn't even speak to me anymore. I had no business giving other people relationship advice.

My eyes were still closed and when I tried to open them I found it extremely difficult. And with the sound of Adrian and Jill murmuring softly in the kitchen, I felt more relaxed than I had in awhile. Some part of me, the "exceptional Alchemist" part, I supposed, realized I shouldn't fall asleep here, but I ignored it. I was just so tired I didn't care.


	3. Chapter 3

**Richelle Mead owns the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.**

**I want to thank everyone reading this story and everyone reviewing and following. You guys are awesome! Hope you enjoy this one :)**

The first thing I noticed was how uncomfortable I was. Something sharp was poking me in the back, and I wiggled around to try to make it stop. The second thing I noticed was how good my pillow smelled. Once the sharp thing went away I snuggled into the pillow, inhaling deeper. It smelled amazing. Like Adrian.

_Like Adrian's cologne._

My eyes snapped open and I sat up so quickly I made myself dizzy. Sure enough, those odd yellow walls greeted me. There was now a pillow on the couch beside me. Someone, probably Adrian, had gotten it for me once I'd fallen asleep. I felt the sharp thing again, this time poking me in the leg, and looked down to see plaid cushions. There must be a loose spring poking through...

"Hey." Adrian's voice came from behind me, in the kitchen. I spun around to see him watching me from his seat at the table. He had a sketchbook in front of him and a pencil in his hand. No one else was here. Not anywhere I could see, anyway. The spring poked me again and he raised an eyebrow at my grimace. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, scooting over a little. "Where is everyone?"

He stood up from the table slowly, closing his notebook, and started walking over to me. "They went to get some food. You fell asleep so Eddie offered to go get dinner. Then Jill wanted to go because she was bored, so Angeline went too."

He sat on the coffee table in front of me and his beautiful eyes searched my face for something. I didn't know what he was looking for, but it made me uncomfortable, shaky, like I wasn't in control of myself, so I didn't say anything back immediately.

"Eddie said you'd been running errands for Ms. Terwilliger this morning," he said cautiously. "That's why you were so tired."

I only nodded.

"Errands?" he asked. "Or _errands_?"

I understood his question and nodded again. "We were... practicing some things."

_Nice, Sydney. He's being friendly for the first time in weeks and he's asking you about the exact topic you've been dying to talk to him about and you decide to be vague._

"I mean..." I struggled to figure out what to say. Suddenly it was so hard to talk to him. It had never been that way before. "We–she's been... I've been working with her. A little." I looked up at him to gauge his reaction. He had claimed to know me better than anyone else and I wanted to know what he thought about me practicing magic. Because, heaven knows, I had no idea how I felt about it.

His green eyes widened a little but he stayed quiet. Finally he asked, "Have you been eating? Jackie said you were supposed to eat more when you did magic. It burns blood sugar or whatever. That's why I sent them to get food. I thought maybe you might need to eat something when you woke up."

He wasn't commenting on me using magic? Even though he knew I thought it was unnatural and wrong? Even after I'd walked out on him after he'd told me he loved me because I though it was unnatural and wrong? I was so sure I'd get some sort of sly quip from him about how "Oh, using magic is fine now but kissing is still wrong", but he just watched me carefully, waiting for my answer. Maybe he wasn't mad at me the way I thought he was. He was just concerned for my health, even though I'd broken his heart.

"I'm fine," I started to say, but Adrian looked like he was about to protest. I put my hand up and stopped him. "Really, I'm fine. I've eaten. Ms. Terwilliger made me eat lunch with her before I came here."

He watched me, gauging my answer. His absurdly green eyes felt like they were piercing my soul and I had to look away. He must have believed me though, because he nodded and got up, his face twisting into that horrible expression he got sometimes when I was around. A look of sorrow and hurt and anger all mixed together. Maybe I was wrong about him not being mad at me. He said in the flattest, saddest voice I'd ever heard , "Okay. You should rest some more. They'll be back soon."

"Adrian..." I still wanted to talk. I wanted to tell him about Ms. Terwilliger's sister and magic boot camp and the odd pleasant feeling I got when power rushed through me. Maybe he felt something like that with spirit? I wanted him to come back and talk to me, like we hadn't done in weeks. But he just kept walking.

Over his shoulder he told me he was going to get something in the other room but I knew that wasn't true. He was avoiding me. Running away. When I heard his bedroom door close behind him I closed my eyes to blink away the tears.

It wasn't that I had feelings for him, I didn't. _I don't_, I told myself firmly. But he was my friend. One of my best friends, and I just wanted that back. I wanted _him_ back. But he was determined to make this harder than it needed to be. We couldn't be together, even if I did feel something for him. He was Moroi and I was an Alchemist. A human. It was impossible.

_And wrong_, I tacked on and felt ashamed that I'd had to. It _was_ wrong and I needed to remember that. No amount of sad puppy looks and green, green eyes could change that fact.

Maybe Adrian had the right idea after all. Maybe I should just avoid him too. It would be easier. Take away the temptation. _No! There is no temptation_, I told myself sternly. _There's nothing between me and Adrian. And there never will be!_

Just as I was scolding myself, Jill, Eddie and Angeline came back carrying plastic bags full of what smelled like the greatest Chinese food ever.

Adrian came back out of his room as Eddie and I took the containers out of the bags and got plates from the kitchen. We all sat around the kitchen table, eating and talking a little. Well, Jill tried talking to Adrian, but he didn't seem too into it, and Eddie and Angeline chatted a little. I sat next to them but didn't contribute much to either conversation. I just picked at my food and thought about how awful tomorrow's boot camp would be.

I was so tired I fell asleep on Adrian's couch, and Ms. Terwilliger had said that the blinding spell wasn't that difficult compared to what we'd be doing tomorrow morning. I could only imagine what tortures she could have in store for me.

I looked up from my chicken and broccoli and caught Adrian watching me push my food around my plate, his brow scrunched together in concern. I knew he was still worried about me eating. Which made me feel warm inside, but also a little agitated. I'd eaten pasta today. I _never_ eat pasta. That was a big step. This Chinese food had all kinds of unhealthy things in it. Besides, I'd already eaten half of the portion I'd taken. He didn't need to worry. But still, I took another bite and when I looked up again the concerned look was gone. Replaced by a much more distant one.

He didn't speak to me for the rest of the evening, but he did give me one last heartbreaking look right as we were leaving to go back to Amberwood. One that haunted my thoughts for the entire drive back.

It wasn't until I'd gotten back to Amberwood and into my dorm that I remembered Carly had emailed me. I went to pull my phone out of my pocket, only to realize it wasn't there. Then I remembered leaving the phone on Adrian's coffee table. I'd have to go back and get it.

I glanced at the clock and sighed. It was 9:30pm, almost curfew. I'd have to get my phone back tomorrow. Instead, I pulled out my laptop and signed into my email account. I desperately wanted to know what Carly had said. I hadn't spoken to her since before I was sent to Palm Springs. Almost three months. I was dying to talk to someone familiar. Someone who wasn't mad at me, or made me feel guilty. I suddenly felt so homesick I wanted to cry.

Carly's email was still sitting there, unopened, waiting. I clicked it open and began reading.

_Hey Syd!_

How are you? We haven't talked in awhile. I know you're probably really busy and everything, but I miss you. School is good! I've got this really whacky English teacher who's really fun. I heard you're back in school. I know, I know! It's classified, but Zoe told me, so you can blame her. She's being just as charming as usual, by the way. I'd say it must suck being back in high school, but I know you too well. You're probably loving every second of it. Anyway, just wanted to say hi. And that I miss you. I wish you could come home for Thanksgiving next week.

_P.S. Have you seen any celebrities in Palm Springs? Because we _could_ talk about celebrities. That's not classified, is it? Also that would be _really_ cool!_

Love you,  
Carly

I read the email twice and then let out a long breath. I hadn't heard from any of my family since I came to California, except for my dad. But that was just a quick phone call so he could tell me how disappointed he was in me, so I wasn't counting it. It was nice to hear from my sister, and to hear that she missed me. I knew that she did, but it was nice hearing it.

Carly wasn't an Alchemist, so she was currently attending college in Utah. She'd been passed over for the position and I knew that she didn't mind. Carly had never wanted to be an Alchemist. Our father had agreed and pinned me with the role instead. Not that I really wanted it either, not entirely. I had really just wanted to please my father.

I wrote back to Carly saying that everything was good here. I couldn't give details, but I'd made some friends. And that I was, in fact, enjoying high school. I'd never been to a high school before, so it was a different experience and even sort of fun. I told her that I wished I could see her and the rest of our family for Thanksgiving. I did miss them all, but it wasn't the first time I'd spent a holiday without them. I'd be fine. And that, no, I hadn't seen any celebrities here. Not that I'd even recognize a celebrity if I had seen one. Carly was the one who could enjoy simple things like celebrity gossip. I hadn't even been to the movies in two years.

I hit send and went to close my laptop, but noticed a new email in the inbox. It was from Adrian. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of his name, and I shook my head. He hadn't sent me an email or text since before the incident. I looked back at the screen. The subject line said: _You forgot your phone_. I opened the email feeling surprised that he'd even bothered to let me know.

_Hey, you forgot your phone on the table. I can drop it off at the school tomorrow if you want._

I quickly sent him a message back.

_I know. I realized once I got back to Amberwood. I can come pick it up tomorrow. You don't have to go out of your way._

Hopefully, it would give us another chance to talk about what's been going on with me lately. I really did want to talk to him. Now that the idea of seeing him again tomorrow was settling into my head, I decided that I _needed_ to see him. It was important. I needed to ask him what it felt like when he used spirit. If it was similar to the dreamy, warm feeling I got when casting a spell? But his short reply a second later shattered any hope I'd had of talking to him.

_Don't worry about it. I'd rather just bring it by. I have a thing downtown tomorrow morning anyway, I'll drop it off then._

What could he possibly be doing downtown tomorrow morning? It was Sunday, he didn't have class. Maybe he was meeting a study group? I quickly discounted that theory. This was Adrian after all. I sighed and briefly debated just emailing him my questions, since he was being so stubborn, but decided against it. I wanted to talk to him face to face. I wanted to see him. Who was I kidding? I wanted to see him so badly there was a physical ache in my chest, but I knew how absurd that was. How wrong it was for me to feel that way.

It wasn't the first time I'd felt that way, either. I'd first noticed it a few days after the kiss. We hadn't seen each other since that day at his apartment, and I was still completely frazzled from it. It wasn't until the first time I'd seen him again, the day before Dimitri returned to court, that I'd noticed just how big a whole Adrian had left in my life. We were all at Clarence's, saying our goodbyes to Dimitri, who was leaving in the morning. Adrian didn't say one word to me for the entire visit. He would barely look in my direction, and when he did it ripped me in half. I was so miserable and all I could think was that when I'm miserable Adrian usually cheers me up. But he didn't. He doesn't anymore. Ever since that day I'd missed him more than I was willing to admit, even to myself. I missed the way he could make me laugh even in the worst of circumstances. How his face always lit up when he smiled at me. How he always seemed to know exactly what to say to make me feel better about myself.

I needed that now. With all of this magic practice, I needed Adrian to tell me I could do it. The way he did when I was casting the scrying spell for Sonya. I needed his easy confidence and charm. I needed him to not give up on me. But I couldn't give him what he wanted either. I just couldn't. It would mean going against everything I'd ever been taught. And I really did believe those things. Humans and Moroi just couldn't be together. I wasn't as certain that they needed to be completely separated from one another. Moroi weren't monsters. But they weren't natural either and relationships between Moroi and humans just weren't meant to exist. Not in the way Adrian wanted.

I looked at his clipped message and typed back a conformation. He'd drop off my phone tomorrow and then he'd leave and I'd still feel miserable and confused. And I still had practice with Ms. Terwilliger tomorrow. I huffed and shut my laptop. Great.


	4. Chapter 4

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, favoriting and following. You guys are awesome and totally make my day! Sorry this took so long, but I had a little writer's block. Anyway, hope you enjoy. **

I didn't sleep very well that night. I tossed and turned, dreaming of powerful witches and girls in cages. Eventually, I gave up on sleep all together and went to get ready for my day.

I didn't know when Adrian was stopping by with my phone so I skipped breakfast and hung around the lobby of the girl's dorms. I had to go see Mrs. Terwilliger again this morning and I didn't want to leave without my cell. Jill had complained once before how difficult it was to get in touch with me when I didn't have a phone and I didn't want it to happen again. _I'm only being a good alchemist_, I told myself. _It's my job to be there for Jill whenever she needs me_.

I sat in one of the lobby chairs and tried to get some homework done, but I couldn't seem to concentrate on the words in the book I was reading. My gaze kept lifting to the glass doors in front of me. When was Adrian coming? I shouldn't have thought he'd come by early, even if he had some mysterious Sunday morning meeting to get to. Or maybe it was a date.

My chest suddenly felt constricted, like my heart was being squeezed by a vice. There was no way Adrian would have a date on a Sunday morning. That wasn't his style. He'd probably want to go out to some expensive downtown restaurant for dinner. He'd wear one of his designer silk button up shirts and buy flowers. It'd be a big deal, very romantic. Not brunch at some cafe.

But maybe he'd bring flowers to the cafe. Lilies. And they'd be sitting on the table in a beautiful vase, waiting for the girl they were purchased for. He'd wear his blue silk button up shirt that I liked and he'd pull out my chair and smile at me from across the table while we laughed and joked about unimportant topics—

I found myself smiling slightly and shook my head, focusing back on my book. I needed to get a hold of my thoughts. I could go from depressed to giddy in a matter of moments these days. Besides that little scenario I'd dreamed up was ridiculous. Whatever Adrian was doing, he certainly wasn't doing it with me. Not that it mattered what he was doing anyway. It was none of my business if he had a date. Or where he went on that date. There wasn't anything between us. There was no reason I should feel strange at the thought of Adrian with someone else. He was a vampire. And I was a human. It just couldn't happen between us.

But what if Adrian was thinking about going out with some other human girl? It wasn't like there were Moroi girls flooding the streets here in Palm Springs. If he was going to date it probably would be with some beautiful human girl. Probably a fun, creative type that was in one of his art classes. He'd take her out someplace fun. Not to see a windmill farm or a textile museum. They'd be spontaneous and romantic... Nothing like me.

I shook my head, harder this time, but shut my book. I couldn't concentrate with Adrian stuck in my head. I needed to stop this. I was torturing myself with things that didn't matter. What I needed was a distraction and I had the perfect one waiting for me at Mrs. Terwilliger's house. Magic might be unnatural and wrong, but at least it was better than this.

I stood, slipping my book into my purse and headed for the door. I'd just have to get my phone later. But when I walked outside I noticed a Springtime yellow Mustang parked in front of the building. Adrian was sitting in the driver's seat with both hands on the steering wheel, staring out the front window. He seemed to be lost in thought. He didn't notice me until I leaned down and knocked on the passenger window.

I half thought he'd just roll down the window, hand me the phone and drive away, but he got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. He leaned against the car and, even though I wanted to cringe at the thought of scratching the paint, I leaned back next to him.

"Hey," he said softly. His gaze stayed on the pavement, refusing to meet mine. I looked at the weary planes of his face and felt a new wave of guilt shoot through me. He looked so... miserable.

"Hey," I said back.

I watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out my cell phone. He paused for a moment, staring at it, before handing it over. I took it and saw that I had a missed call. Mrs. Terwilliger. I sighed and shoved the phone into the pocket of my khakis. I needed to get over there, but I didn't really want to leave yet.

Adrian continued to look at the ground and I didn't know what to say so we just stood there together in the most awkward silence I'd ever experienced. I was completely aware of him in that moment. Of how close we were standing, of the heat of his body near mine, of the scent of his cologne. I wanted nothing more than to lean in and take a deep breath. Finally he sighed and said, "I've got to go." He wrenched himself away from the Mustang and turned to walk back the the driver's side.

"Wait!" I called to him. He turned back around and met my eyes for the first time that day. "I-I have another session with Mrs. Terwilliger today."

I hadn't meant to stop him. I didn't even know why I'd chosen to say that, other than he was leaving and I said the first thing that came to mind to try to get him to stay for a minute more. But then I rationalized that I did need to ask Adrian something and it was a good lead in. Adrian looked like he wanted to say something but then just nodded.

"Good luck," he said and started for the driver's seat again.

"Where are you going?" I asked. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut in embarrassment from the sound of my voice. I sounded as desperate for him to talk to me as I felt.

Adrian paused with his hand on the door. "I've got a meeting downtown. It's a school thing," he said with a small, sad smile. The one that seemed to have replaced his usual handsome smirk recently.

I exhaled and hoped he didn't recognize the sigh of relief for what it was. _Stupid. It's not any of your business what he's doing. There's no reason to be relieved._

"Oh," I said, trying to sound indifferent, but encouraging. It wasn't easy. "Well, good luck."

We locked eyes again and this time it was like I was stuck. I couldn't look away from that green gaze even if I'd wanted to. Adrian seemed to want to say something again. It looked like he was struggling with some internal battle. Finally, a determined look crossed his face and he stood straighter.

"Sage? Are you sure you're okay with these _errands_ you're helping Mrs. Terwilliger with?" He looked at me with such concern it made my chest ache. "It's not your problem, you know. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

I exhaled through my nose and closed my eyes. "It is actually. My problem. I need to learn to defend myself."

"Is this still about that?" he asked. "You still feel helpless?"

"No. Not entirely, at least." I looked around, making sure there wasn't anyone within earshot. "I've learned a lot of cool things so far. But I need to learn more. Mrs. Terwilliger is teaching me to defend myself against–"

I stopped short as the door to the girl's dorms opened and a group of freshman wandered out passed us. They smiled and giggled as they walked by Adrian and something in my stomach turned sour at the way they looked at him. I felt a little better when I realized he was still looking at me, waiting for me to go on.

Once the girls were further down the sidewalk I continued. "She's teaching me to defend myself from other... you know. _Magic users_," I whispered. I couldn't quite bring myself to say the word _witch_. It was too weird. And if I said it out loud I might have to admit that I was one too, and I was nowhere near ready for that.

"Like who?" he asked. His perfect face scrunched up with worry again. I felt awful that I'd been making him worry so much lately. Adrian was supposed to be fun and carefree. Not worrying over me. "Did something happen? What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing happened," I assured him. "Not really. I just found out that there are other people like Mrs. Terwilliger out there and not all of them have good intentions."

He seemed to process this for a few moments. "So," he said slowly, "there are what? Like, _evil_ witches out there?"

"There's a lot of evil in the world, Adrian. It's only natural that a percentage of people would do the wrong thing as opposed to the right one."

"So now witches are natural, but vampires still aren't?"

And there it was. That's the quip I'd been waiting for. He'd meant it to be a joke, a light comment, but it came out sounding almost bitter.

"That's not what I meant." I sighed. "You know how I feel about magic. It's all unnatural. But it's also human nature to abuse the power given to us. Human, witch, Moroi. We're all guilty of it. I didn't mean it like that."

He closed his eyes and breathed. "I know, Sage. I'm sorry. I just... I need to go, okay? I'm late. I know how much you hate tardiness." He smiled that smile again. It could almost pass for his old smirk, but I wasn't fooled. He started to duck his head to get in the car.

"Adrian," I called again. I knew I was pestering him but I still hadn't asked my question. "Can we... can we talk? Not now, of course. I don't want you to be late, but... Sometime? I really need to ask you something."

He nodded and something filled his eyes then. It wasn't quite hope, but it was something like it and it made his green eyes sparkle in a way I hadn't seen in weeks. "Do you want to come by later? We could talk then?" I nodded my confirmation and he looked at his watch. "I really have to go now. Good luck with Jackie. If I know you, you'll probably be surpassing her skills in no time." He smiled again and it was still sad, but not quite as much as before. At least it met his eyes this time. Then he got in the car and drove away.

I stood there, frozen to the sidewalk as I watched him leave. I knew he didn't mean anything by it, but that comment about knowing me only reminded me of... the incident. How he told me there was no one out there who understood me like he did. It made me uncomfortable, because, as I stood there watching students coming back from the cafeteria in groups of two and three, I had the feeling he was right.


	5. Chapter 5

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Okay, so this is the longest chapter I've written so far for this story and it gets the plot rolling a little. I'm trying to keep the plot fairly close to the synopsis of _The Indigo Spell_, but I'll put my own twist on it. It's been awhile since I've read VA, so if I got any facts about spirit wrong let me know and I'll do my best to change them. I thought I remembered spirit being described as sort of addictive. I could possibly just be making that up though :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. So far it's my favorite! Review and let me know what you think!**

"Again, Miss Melbourne!" Mrs. Terwilliger demanded.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I breathed through my nose and concentrated on the feel of the magic around me. It was hard at first, finding it and making it work for me. Mrs. Terwilliger had had to explain it to me a number of times and I'd even read a passage from one of her spell books about pulling magic from the world around us. After three hours of failing miserably I'd finally felt the first glimmer of power swirl around me, and now, three hours after that, I could pull it to me with only a small amount of effort. The problem I was having wasn't so much finding the magic as controlling and directing it.

Imagine filling a pool with water, Mrs. Terwilliger had explained. Once all of the water is in one place it's easy to get to. But then getting the water out of the pool and where you want it to go becomes an issue. I didn't seem to be able to get the water back out of the pool once it was in.

As the magic gathered within me I shook off any doubts that tried to lodge themselves in my mind. It had taken Mrs. Terwilliger nearly an hour just to get me to try to feel for the magic, but I had decided I didn't really have time to debate morals with her or myself and had eventually just given in. It still bothered me though, having magic surround me. I could feel it, warm and bright like rays of sunshine. It felt nice, but I knew better.

I sucked in one more deep breath and then opened my eyes and pushed with every ounce of concentration I had. Mrs. Terwilliger wobbled slightly but managed to keep her balance. I did manage to topple a few books on the shelves behind her though.

"Good, now you're starting to get it. But you need to focus more. You're not aiming well enough," Mrs. Terwilliger explained. "What you just did was the equivalent of shooting at me with a shotgun. The magic sprayed all around me, covering a wide area. For this to work you're going to need the aim of a sniper rifle."

"I still don't know how I feel about this," I said, buying time before I had to try again. That much concentration was taking a lot out of me. "I mean, the trinkets and spells were one thing, but this? I feel like an air user."

Mrs. Terwilliger shook her head but stayed in her position as my target. "What you're doing is nothing like what a Moroi can do. Air users control the air around us. They can cause a gust of wind strong enough to knock a person over. Right now you're using the magic itself as a weapon. Right now you're trying to knock me down, but eventually you'll be able to stop me from moving at all."

"That's what I don't like," I complained. "I don't want to have complete control over someone else. It's wrong!"

"Enough with the right and wrong, Sydney," she snapped. "When two of my sister's thugs jump you outside the coffee shop are you going to tell them about how wrong kidnapping is? Or are you going to wish you'd practiced this spell a little more when you'd had the chance?"

She was right and I knew it, there was no time to delay this any further. I sucked in another breath and gathered the magic to me once again. But this time, when I opened my eyes to aim, I pictured looking through the sight on a gun. I imagined the crosshairs right on Mrs. Terwilliger's chest. And this time, when I pushed the magic at her, she fell backwards with a startled yelp.

"Oh!" I gasped and ran over to where she lay sprawled on the floor of her living room. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push that hard!"

Mrs. Terwilliger sat up with a groan and then started laughing. Once I knew she was alright I couldn't help but smile with her. I'd done it!

"Next time," she said, once she'd calmed down enough to speak, "we're going to have to practice with something heavier. Like maybe the refrigerator." She stood up and rubbed her backside with one hand. "You sure pack a hell of a punch, Miss Melbourne."

After forcing me to drink half a container of orange juice, Mrs. Terwilliger finally let me leave. I texted Adrian as soon as I got in my car.

_I'm finished with Mrs. Terwilliger. Be over soon?_

By the time I reached the stop sign at the end of the block he'd texted me back.

_See u then._

I threw my phone onto the seat next to me and began driving again. I was nervous about seeing Adrian, especially in his apartment. Alone. I hadn't been alone with him in his apartment since the incident. Well, besides yesterday when I fell asleep on the couch, but we hadn't really talked at all, so I wasn't counting it. Today we were going to have a real conversation. I was going to ask him about magic. If spirit magic felt the same as the magic I'd used just a little while ago. Mostly, I just wanted to talk to someone besides Mrs. Terwilliger about what I'd been learning. She insisted it was necessary for me to learn and I believed her. Two days ago she'd shown me a report in the news about a twenty year old girl from Los Angeles who'd gone missing. She was human, dark hair, tan skin. Pretty. But what made her stand out from the crowd was something that didn't show on the outside. She was a magic user too.

Mrs. Terwilliger said three girls had already gone missing from the LA area. Three girls all belonging to covens. Mrs. Terwilliger was looking into it more, trying to see if there was any link between the girls besides being able to use magic and living in LA. None of them belonged to the same coven, went to the same schools, or knew each other as far as she could tell.

It scared me, knowing that these girls were being taken seemingly for the power they possessed. That was why I didn't have a choice anymore about learning how to use magic as a weapon. Even if I felt it was completely unnatural, it was the only weapon I possessed that could do any real damage against my enemies.

I pulled up along the curb in front of Adrian's apartment complex and parked behind his Mustang. Pulling the keys from the engine, I hopped out of Latte and gave the yellow convertible an appreciative glance before making my way to Adrian's door. I was buzzing with nerves and my stomach felt like a thousand butterflies were flapping around in there, but I managed to knock on the front door.

Adrian greeted me with the friendliest smile I'd seen in weeks. "Hey."

"Hey." I smiled and he moved out of the doorway so I could come in. The first thing I noticed was that there were paintings everywhere. Most were covered with white sheets, hiding them from me, I assumed. It made me curious as to what was depicted under those sheets. But what made me even more curious then the hidden paintings were the ones that were wrapped in plastic sheeting and labeled. There must have been about ten of them stacked against the back of the couch, looking ready to be transported somewhere.

I frowned at the paintings in confusion and Adrian walked up next to me. He played with a piece of the plastic sheeting as he spoke, pulling it up and pressing it back down into place. "The meeting I had this morning? It was with the owner of this tea shop downtown," he explained. "One of my teachers knows the owner, Cindy, and showed her some of my work. Cindy usually displays a few paintings by local artists. She's got a wall of the shop dedicated to it. She said she wanted to display some of my work so I went by this morning to show her pictures of a few paintings." He stopped playing with the plastic and looked up at me. "She decided she wanted them all."

I felt my mouth drop open before I started grinning from ear to ear. "Adrian, that's amazing! I can't believe it." Then I thought better of it. "Well, actually, I can believe it. All of you're paintings are incredible. Unless you've been drinking, of course, and then they just start looking like something Jackson Pollock threw up."

Adrian snorted and choked on a laugh. "Well, at least I'm being compared to the greats. Even if it's just their vomit." I blushed, but he didn't seem offended at all by my comment. He smiled, looking happy. "So, what did you need to talk about so badly you almost hopped on the hood of my car to stop me from leaving?"

"I did not!" I sputtered. "You kept leaving and I wasn't finished talking to you!"

He smiled again, raising his eyebrows. "So?" he said, prompting me. He moved toward the kitchen and I followed him.

I'd had the whole car ride over to think of how to say this, but it was still hard. "I wanted to ask you about—about magic?" I said the last word quietly, even though it was only us in the apartment.

Adrian nodded like he had expected the question and pulled open a cabinet door. He gestured for me to take a seat and pulled two bowls off of one of the shelves. "What about it?" he asked.

I watched him place the bowls on the counter and turn off the heat under a large pot that sat on the stove. I hadn't realized he was cooking something when I first came in, but now I could smell it. It smelled like soup of some kind, with a lot of spices, and my stomach growled. It was then I remembered I hadn't eaten yet today.

Adrian smiled and served the soup into the bowls before coming back to the table. He put one bowl in front of me and the other at the seat next to mine. I was right, it was soup, but I wasn't sure what kind. It looked like a mix of vegetables that he'd thrown together himself. It smelled good though, and when he handed me a spoon I didn't waste time taking a bite.

"Mmm," I sighed, involuntarily. It was good and I was suddenly so hungry I felt sick.

Adrian chuckled and took a bite. "I figured you'd need to eat. You were practicing with Jackie all day?" he asked.

"Mmhmm." I nodded between spoonfuls. "This is really good," I said, pointing to my bowl with the spoon. "How did you learn to cook?"

"Google."

I laughed and covered my mouth with my hand to keep from spraying soup all over the table. "Well, then," I said once I'd swallowed, "I'm going to have to get you to google some recipes for Thanksgiving."

Thanksgiving was in a week and a half. The gang was planning on celebrating together at Clarence's house, since none of us could spend it at home with our families. Eddie and Angeline had already agreed to cook the turkey, and if Adrian knew how to cook he could help them out.

Adrian smiled at me. "Anything you want, Sage. Just don't make me spend Thanksgiving locked in Clarence's kitchen with the lovebirds."

I laughed. "Oh, come on. Eddie and Angeline aren't that bad. They're just happy."

Adrian's smile faded and he looked down at his soup. "Yeah, well, I'm not really in the mood to watch them be all lovey-dovey at the moment."

I stirred my soup around with my spoon. How had we stumbled onto such an awkward subject? I quickly tried another topic. "I wanted to know what it feels like when you use spirit?" I asked.

Adrian seemed grateful for the change in topic, but didn't look up from his soup. "Um... I don't know. It feels nice, I guess." He bit his lip. "Sort of like the ultimate high. You feel all warm and tingly when you use it."

"Kind of like rays of light are wrapping around you? Like you don't even exist outside of that warm, perfect feeling?" I asked.

He frowned and glanced up at me. "Kind of, yeah, why? Is that what it feels like when you do a spell?"

I nodded. "Yeah. When it's working, at least. All of the concentration usually just gives me a headache."

"Hmm," he said, seeming to mull over my answer. "And do you feel like you want to do magic all of the time after a spell? Almost like it's addictive?"

I shook my head. "No. It doesn't feel like that. Most of the time I dread having to use it again. Especially after I do a spell. It's really draining. I'm usually to exhausted to think."

He licked soup off of his bottom lip and I found it was very difficult to make myself look away. His lips were right there, only a foot away. I remembered how soft they were against mine, but still firm and demanding. How warm and alive I felt. The butterflies came back, full force, and I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Oh, this was not something I should be feeling. Especially not with him sitting right there!

"Good, I'm glad," Adrian said. "Spirit can be addictive. Like, the more I use it, the more I want to use it. Since I healed Jailbait, sometimes, if I see someone who's sick or injured, it's all I can do to stop myself from reaching for them."

I finally pried my eyes away from his perfect lips and met his eyes. "That's not a bad thing," I reasoned. "You instinctively want to help people. I'd say that's a very good addiction to have."

He shook his head. "You don't get it. It's almost like it's not up to me. I can't go around healing every sick old person in Palm Springs. You'd have so much covering up to do you'd never have time to do any homework," he teased.

I smiled, happy we'd managed to do away with any lingering awkwardness in the conversation. "But you're body wants to use the spirit for good, not evil," I pointed out. "Regardless of the mess you'd cause by actually allowing it to happen, you're still capable of doing great things for other people."

He nodded and took another spoonful of soup. "I guess. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

I shrugged. "I learned a spell today that called for a lot of concentration. It was so hard, I didn't think I'd ever get it. I'm still not entirely sure I wanted to. I think that might be my problem. I think I'm impeding myself every time I try to do a spell that takes a lot of concentration."

He slurped in another spoonful of soup and I made a face. "Do you have to do that?" I asked. He smirked and slurped again. "You're disgusting," I said with a smile.

He shrugged and put his spoon down. "What do you mean?"

"Slurping soup is a sign of poor manners. Also, it's just gross. It's one of my pet peeves," I said.

Adrian smiled. "No. I meant about impeding yourself. But slurping soup gets on Sydney Sage's nerves," he said. "Good to know."

I rolled my eyes. "I mean, every time I go to perform a spell, instead of concentrating on making the spell work, my focus is split between trying to make it work and whether or not I should be trying at all. I can't seem to get around it being wrong to use magic in the first place."

"So then, maybe you shouldn't be using it," Adrian said firmly. He was using the voice I'd heard only a few times before. Times when he was being serious, something he rarely ever was. There was even a note of protectiveness in his voice. It warmed me to my core.

"I would agree with you, but we're sort of beyond the point of me being able to choose not to learn," I said. I'd made up my mind in the car on the way over that I was going to tell Adrian everything. About the magic, about the missing girl's, about Mrs. Terwilliger's crazy older sister. Everything. By the time I had finished explaining Adrian looked more upset then I'd ever seen him.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. "What did that crazy old witch get you into?" he asked, sounding angry.

I shook my head. "Adrian, calm down. It's not Mrs. Terwilliger's fault. Those girls in LA didn't know about Genevieve or what was going on as far as we can tell. I know what to look out for. Mrs. Terwilliger is making sure I'm safe."

"What? By teaching you some party tricks?" Adrian stood up and began pacing the living room. "It's not enough, Sage. What if she comes here looking for Jackie? You don't think she'll try to grab you the first chance she gets?"

I followed him into the living room and watched him pace. He was giving me a headache. "They're not party tricks, Adrian, and you know it. You saw what I did at the Warriors compound. And I've learned a lot more since then. I learned a spell yesterday that temporarily blinds it's victims. I don't even need a charm to make it work. It just requires a little concentration. If Genevieve does come after me it will prove extremely useful, just you watch. At the very least, it might help you avoid falling off the top of a fence again," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. He'd taken a header off of a fence while we were escaping the Warrior's enclave after I'd used a spell and it had inadvertently effected Adrian as well.

"Are you trying to make me feel better, Sage?" He still sounded upset, but he gave me a small grin and I returned it.

"Maybe."

He smiled again and took a deep breath. "Okay, well. If you're so sure you can handle a psychotic witch, I want you to practice some of these spells on me."

I frowned at him. "What?"

"Practice on me. You're not too tired are you?" He waited until I shook my head and then walked over to me. "Come on, Sage. You said you learned a few you can do without the bubbling cauldron—"

"Adrian!" I yelled. "I do not use a cauldron!"

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, Sage. You can do them here. I want you to try."

"That's stupid, Adrian. I just spent the whole day practicing with Mrs. Terwilliger."

He smirked. "Then you shouldn't have any problem pulling a rabbit out of your hat for me, now should you?"

I blew a frustrated sigh out of my nose. He was really annoying me with all of the taunting. I closed my eyes and pulled the magic to me the way I had at Mrs. Terwilliger's and when I pushed it away, I aimed it right at Adrian's chest. He flew backwards like he was hit by a speeding car and flipped over onto the couch.

"Oh my God!" I shouted, running over to see if he was okay. Adrian sat up on the couch and looked at me with wide eyes. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me or afraid of me. I reached out to touch him, but then dropped my hands. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard. I'm sorry! Are you okay? You were just making me so mad." I shook my head. "You're really exasperating sometimes, you know."

To my surprise, Adrian laughed in much the same way Mrs. Terwilliger had after I'd knocked her on the ground. It was a mix of astonishment and pride. "Holy shit, Sydney! That was awesome! How'd you do that?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers out there! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

After everything that had happened with Adrian in the past month or so, I never thought we could spend an entire afternoon just talking. We didn't argue, not even once, unless you counted when he tried to get me to eat some sugar-coated donut holes he'd bought at the supermarket and I'd firmly said no. And once I started detailing, and occasionally demonstrating, the things I was learning in magic boot camp, all of our residual awkwardness sort of dissipated. Adrian was too preoccupied with how "awesome" and "badass" my magic was to mope. He didn't even try flirting with me, which I appreciated. I wasn't in the right head space to deal with a flirty Adrian. Right now I just needed my friend, and that's exactly what I got from him.

After I started to get tired, and Adrian had finally managed to get me to eat a donut hole and some orange juice, he turned on the tv. I leaned back against the cushions of his ugly plaid couch knowing I should leave. Alchemists and Moroi didn't hang out watching tv together. Alchemists usually didn't watch tv, period. I looked up at the huge flat screen on the wall, the one that had been Keith's when he lived here, and rethought that statement. At least, I didn't watch tv.

"What are you worried about?" The soft sound of Adrian's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked over to see him watching me with a mix of concern and genuine curiosity.

"Nothing." I shook my head. Adrian didn't look convinced though. Before he could push further and inevitably ruin a good day with a fight about the impossibilities of Moroi/Alchemist relationships I distracted him with another worry that had been playing on repeat in my head over the past couple of weeks. "I've been trying to find someone, that guy Marcus. The one Clarence was friends with."

Adrian narrowed his eyes a little, but nodded in recognition of the name, so I went on.

"Clarence gave me a picture of him the day Sonya left. He was an alchemist, but in the picture he had this weird blue tattoo over the lily on his cheek." I leaned over to the end table and rifled through my purse until I produced the photo. I handed it to Adrian who studied it while I finished speaking. "I've asked the Alchemists about him, but they claim they don't know what I'm talking about. And then the Warriors made it sound like Marcus was some kind of criminal. But Clarence claims that they were friends."

"Yeah, well, Clarence also claims Lee's still alive," Adrian pointed out, handing the photo back to me. "And that Keith was a good guy just trying to help him find the vampire hunters."

"Yeah, but he was right about the vampire hunters, at least." I pressed my lips together and inhaled through my nose, trying not to look over to the corner of the room where Lee had died. "I need to find him, Adrian. Talk to him myself. Find out why the Alchemists pretend he doesn't exist anymore."

Adrian pulled one leg up on the couch and spun so he was facing me completely. "Maybe this Marcus guy was sick of taking orders from the Alchemists. Maybe he quit."

I shook my head. "Alchemists don't just quit. We can't quit. It's—it's not allowed. This—" I pointed to my tattooed cheek. "This is for life."

Adrian was quiet for a few moments, his gaze on the lily on my cheek. "Well," he said, meeting my eyes. "I guess no one gave Marcus that memo."

We both just stared at each other for a while, taking that information in. If Marcus had managed to escape the Alchemists then what did that mean for me? Could I ever do that? Turn my back on my family, on my people? I did believe in what the Alchemists were doing, but the way they were doing it rankled a little. They treated me like a brainless zombie half the time, a mindless drone who's only thought should be to follow orders, never question my superiors. I hated to admit it, but it got on my nerves. Adrian had once told me I was better than that, and I agreed. I didn't like being treated that way, but that's how things worked in the Alchemists. That didn't mean I would ever run away because of it though. I'd be giving up too much; my family, my beliefs. My gaze turned up to meet the emerald green one of the boy sitting next to me and the most bizarre question popped into my mind.

_How much am I giving up if I stay with them?_

"It seems to me the answer is pretty simple, Sage."

I flinched from the sound of his voice. "What?" What was he talking about? It was almost as if he'd heard my thoughts. I reassured myself that, for all that spirit could do, it couldn't help Adrian actually read my mind.

"Marcus," he said slowly. "The solution to finding Marcus is simple." When I didn't immediately catch on he gave me a look of mock disappointment. "Come on, Sage. The answer is so easy, I'm shocked I need to help you with it. I guess being a know-it-all doesn't actually mean you know it all, huh?" He smirked.

I frowned. "I'm not a know-it-all."

He ignored me and kept going. "Alright, I'll _spell_ it out for you." He put such a strong emphasis on the word _spell_ that I gave him a funny look. "_Which teacher_ would know how to help you?" He put the same emphasis on _which_ and _teacher_, and I almost smacked my palm into my forehead when I realized the obvious answer. He was right. It was simple.

"The scrying spell!" I cried. "I can use it to find out where Marcus lives. Adrian, you're a genius!"

I moved without thinking, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him. He stiffened but didn't pull away. It didn't matter, because the moment I realized what I'd done I was already pulling back and standing.

"I'm—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Adrian said. He looked... Well. I couldn't tell how he looked. He seemed to be caught somewhere between grief and amusement. It was painful to look at him. All I could do was turn my head away and hope the guilt didn't make me do anything stupid. Like hugging him again.

"Sage," he started at the same time I said, "Look..." We both stopped talking and paused waiting for the other to continue. When I didn't say anything Adrian started speaking again.

"It's getting late, I'm sure you have some homework or something you're dying to finish. I'll see you later."

I watched him, mouth practically gaping, as I grabbed my purse and he ushered me toward the door. "You're kicking me out?"

He spun to look at me. "No. No, of course not. I just thought... I don't know. I think it might be better if you left."

"That's kicking me out, Adrian," I said, deadpan.

"No, it's not." He shook his head vehemently. "I'm not, like, mad or anything. I just..." He lowered his voice and looked into my eyes. His stare was so intense I wanted to look away. "I just can't be friends with you like that, okay? I mean, we _can_ be friends. The talking is okay. I missed that, a lot. But touching, hugging? No. We can't do that."

He was being so serious. Not even close to his usual charming personality. His expression broke my heart. Adrian should have been the one trying to touch me, trying to hug me. Instead he was warning me off, like he was the one who had rejected me. My heart ripped in two. I wanted to be mad that he was sending me away, but I was grateful to him for being the one to keep his head and put some distance between us. This was what I wanted after all. Him to keep his distance.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I didn't mean to. I was, I don't know. Caught up in the moment, I guess."

"I know. And I'm not complaining. Having you hug me..." He shook his head. "But I can't. It's too raw, Sydney. I'm trying here, okay? I hated avoiding you, but I don't want to lose control again. After what happened with Rose, I can't do that to Jill again."

I nodded. "I know." I looked into his face. He looked sad, but strong. He wasn't breaking down like after Rose. He was trying to hold it together for Jill. He hadn't been drinking, or even smoking lately. How ever he felt about me, just those acts alone must be hard for him. I nodded again. "I'm proud of you."

Adrian, for one split second, looked like he might cry. "Thank you," he said, his voice rough. "That means a lot."

I wet my lips and turned toward the door. I couldn't be near him right now. I was very close to doing something stupid. Stupider than just hugging him. "I should go."

"Yeah," he murmured and followed me to the door. Once I was outside and a safe distance away I turned to look at him again. He wasn't looking at me in that dreamy way he sometimes did, but it was still a look full of affection and longing. And grief. "Will you call me and let me know how the spell goes?"

I gave him a small smile. "Of course. I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

He smiled back and in that smile I could see exactly what he was feeling, because it was a reflection of the one on my face. The one that showed all of the guilt and pain and regret I was feeling. I turned and walked away from him, a feeling of déjà vu creeping over me as I got into Latte and drove back to Amberwood.


	7. Chapter 7

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Sorry it took so long, but here's the next chapter. I'm uploading this from my phone, so if it gets completely screwed up I apologize. Thanks again to all the reviewers and followers and readers out there. You guys are the best :)**

I bombarded Mrs. Terwilliger with questions the next day in our independent study session. We couldn't practice magic on the Amberwood campus, but Mrs. Terwilliger was more than happy to discuss it. At length. She described the procedure in detail, making a list of all the things I'd need if I was to do it myself, and when the best time to cast the spell was.

"Who is it that you're looking for, Miss Melbourne?" she asked after slipping me the list of ingredients. "Hopefully, you don't have another missing friend."

I smiled. "No. No, I'm trying to find another Alchemist. Or rather, a former Alchemist. A friend of a friend. But no one will help me find any information on him, so I thought I'd go right to the source."

Mrs. Terwilliger pursed her lips in thought and studied the lily on my cheek. "This spell will certainly help you cut out the middle man, but are you certain you want to find this former Alchemist? Maybe there are certain truths you aren't ready to know just yet."

I scrunched my brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She shook her head and turned away, looking at a thick leather spell book on the desk behind her. "Nothing, Miss Melbourne, just be careful. You never know what sort of trouble you can run into by digging up secrets."

I bit my lip. It sounded like she had greater insight into my situation than she was letting on, but she could also just be being ominous for no reason. Sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on inside of her head. But I figured if she wanted me to know something she'd tell me. And anyway, I was going to find Marcus, no matter what she said. I needed answers and he had them.

"So, when do you plan on casting this spell?" Mrs. Terwilliger said, spinning back to face me. "I could help you, and you'd need me to get out of the dorms that late at night anyway."

"This weekend, would be best. The moon will be in the right position and I want to find this guy as quickly as possible."

Mrs. Terwilliger nodded and walked back to her desk. She pulled a worn out day planner from her desk drawer and paged through it. I watched as her lips thinned out as she read. "Yes. The moon will be in the correct position, but I won't be." She put the planner down and glanced at me apologetically. "I have a teachers seminar in San Diego this weekend."

I frowned. "You have a teachers seminar? That's so... normal."

She laughed. "Well, I am a teacher, Miss Melbourne. It's my job. I am sorry, though, that I won't be able to help you. Do have someone else you could ask?" She smiled. "That _brother_ of your's, Adrian, perhaps?"

I didn't like the way she said brother. Like it was a stand in for something else. Something that made me feel uncomfortable. For a brief second I flashed back to yesterday, when I accidentally hugged him. I shook it off. Thinking about Adrian was something I was trying to avoid. But apparently spending time with him wasn't avoidable.

"Yes, ma'am. I could get Adrian to help."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll give you the keys to my house so you can get the ingredients." Her smile turned mischievous. "And while you're there you can feed my cats."

No. I shook my head frantically. "Uh, ma'am, cats and I—Well, actually any animal and I don't really, uh... get along."

She laughed. "You should change that. Having a pet keeps you in good spirits. This can be like a beginners course in having an animal."

"I'd really rather not, though."

"Too bad," she laughed.

The bell rang and I turned to gather my things, groaning. I wanted to be away from this crazy woman who wanted me to take care of her cats. As I left the room, Mrs. Terwilliger called out. "I'll have everything set for you. And I'll leave directions about the cats."

By the end of classes I'd already thought up several reasons why doing the spell would be a bad idea. There was the whole I-despise-magic thing. That was the big one, but, somehow, I just couldn't justify it to myself as a reason not to find Marcus. Especially since I'd been using magic so regularly lately. There was the Adrian thing. I wasn't sure if I could trust myself around him, but I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid him even if I tried and it wasn't worth the pain and hurt feelings it would cause. For either of us. I'd started to wonder if finding Marcus was even worth all of the stress it was causing me. For all I knew, Adrian could be right. Marcus could end up being like Keith, a bad guy who was just pretending to help Clarence.

By the time I made it to my dorm, I'd already gone over my reasons several times and no matter what my excuse, nothing justified abandoning the search for the truth. Not my fear or apprehension. Nothing. I picked up my phone and scrolled down to Adrian's number. I was just about to hit the call button when a knock sounded at my door.

I put my cell phone down on my desk and opened the door to find Jill smiling back at me.

"Hey, Sydney!" She somehow managed to smile brighter and practically skipped passed me into my room. A vast improvement over her mood the past few weeks.

I smiled back, but felt I should approach her cautiously. I didn't want to be the one to kill her mood. "Hi," I said. "What's going on?"

"Not much." Jill plopped down on my bed, still grinning at me, though it looked a little less bright. "Eddie and Angeline are in the library. He's helping her with her history homework. Apparently, the Keepers don't really keep up with American history as much as Amberwood would like."

I smiled. "I'm sure they don't. I don't even think all of them are aware of which country they live in."

Jill laughed and I figured I might as well try to get this discussion out of the way now, while she seemed to be in a decent mood.

"Hey, so, I don't mean to pry but... How are you doing about that?"

Jill looked at me strangely. "I'm doing fine in history."

"No. I meant with, you know? Angeline and Eddie?"

Her smile faltered but didn't completely disappear. She did, however, find a loose thread in my bedspread very interesting all of a sudden. "I'm okay. I mean, it wasn't like Eddie knew I was interested in him. He didn't do it on purpose. And I know why Angeline likes him. I mean, he's _Eddie_. He's smart and fun to be around and protective, but not suffocating like some Guardians can be. He's great." She was smiling again, but when she looked up at me it faded. "Angeline is great too and he deserves someone great. I mean, like, I wish that I'd noticed how he felt about me sooner, but I'm not mad at them because of it."

I sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "Really? Because you seemed pretty upset about something the other day?" I swallowed and said what needed to be said. "Or was that because you were mad at me?"

Jill bit her lip and looked away. "It's not that I'm mad, Sydney. I'm not. You're my friend and I want you to be happy. I want Adrian to be happy too. And Eddie and Angeline. But I'm connected to Adrian. When he's hurting..." She threw her hands up and sighed. "I don't know, it's like I'm hurting too. It's really hard to separate his feelings from mine. Sometimes I get confused or overwhelmed, you know? And I end up taking it out on you guys. Especially you, since, you know."

_Ah. Yes, the incident rears it's ugly head again_.

"I know. He's mad at me and you get caught up in it."

Jill shook her head vigorously, looking slightly horrified. "No! No. He's not mad at you. He could never be mad at you. He's sad, Sydney. So sad that he can't make himself the right guy for you. He's—oh! I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this." She looked away and sighed. "It's not really fair for me to be sharing his personal thoughts. That's, like, invasion of privacy in the worst sense."

I smiled. "That's okay, Jill. I understand." Though what I really wanted was for her to spill every single thought Adrian had ever had about me. But Jill was right. That would be wrong.

"It's just that," she started again, "when he's hurting, I'm hurting. And I'm still pretty new to this whole bond thing. We've practiced a few tricks to help keep me out of his mind. Occasionally, I can control it. Like yesterday."

Fear gripped my chest and wouldn't let go. I had to work to keep my voice even. "Yesterday? What about it?"

She blushed. "Oh, well. I mean... I didn't see much. I sensed Adrian was happy about something. Really relaxed, you know? More than he's been in awhile. It was this feeling that he only ever gets when he's around you. But he hasn't had that feeling in awhile because, well—"

I held up a hand to stop her rambling. "I get it, Jill."

She nodded and went on. "So when he was feeling that way I sort of wanted to check in." She ducked her head, sheepishly. "I was a little nosy, but I swear I backed out the second I saw you were there. And I was able to! I got in and out all on my own!"

Jill beamed proudly at me, seeming to totally forget that she'd invaded mine and Adrian's privacy.

"And that's all you saw? Just that I was at his apartment?"

Her cheeks flushed again. "Well, no, not exactly. I mean, I saw you guys talk about his art exhibit and then I pulled out." In a change of subject worthy of Adrian she smiled. "Isn't that amazing? Adrian getting his own exhibit at that tea house, I mean? I'm so proud of him and he's really, really excited!"

"Jill!" I snapped. "What else did you see?" I felt bad about yelling at her, but if she'd seen the magic... I didn't know what I'd do, say. How could I explain that? I didn't want to have to explain that to anyone. At least, for now.

"Just... when you hugged him." Her eyes were wide and earnest. "But that was it. You hugged him and I got sucked in for a second. I don't know what happened before or after that, just that it happened and then you pulled away. I promise I didn't see anything else."

I exhaled. Okay, that wasn't so bad. It was sort of embarrassing and might give Jill the wrong impression but at least she hadn't seen anything that couldn't be explained away.

"That was an error in judgement," I said. "He was telling me about the art exhibit and how he hasn't been drinking or smoking and I was proud of him. I wasn't thinking and I hugged him and it was a bad idea. Adrian and I decided that nothing like that will be happening again. We're just friends."

Jill smiled again, bright, beaming. I could practically see the wheels turning in her mind.

"I mean it, Jill. We're just friends."

"Oh, I know." She jumped up off the bed and headed over to the door. "Well, I just came over to ask if you wanted to come help Angeline study. I think I'm going to head over there." She twisted her lips in a grimace. "I'd rather not be alone with her and Eddie if I can help it."

I felt bad for her. "Okay. I'll meet you there. I just have to make a phone call." She nodded, looking grateful, and walked out the door.

"Oh, and Jill?" I called her back. "Next time you get that feeling, the one Adrian has when he's with me? Please stay out of his head."

Jill smiled sheepishly and nodded, closing the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

"Sage?"

I swung around and looked at the boy currently trying to navigate his way to the cat dish with seven screeching cats weaving in and out of his legs. He held a can of cat food in one hand and was trying to pick up the dish in the other.

"A little help?" Adrian said as a cat swung a paw up and tried to knock the food out of his hands. He straightened and brought the dish back to the counter.

"I guess feeding them one at a time was a bad idea." A cat jumped up on the counter next to him and began eating right out of the can. Adrian sighed and started popping open the rest of the cans of cat food. "Does the crazy witch not feed you guys or something? You're practically feral," he said, scratching the cat on the counter behind the ears.

When he finished opening the cans and placing them on the floor for the other, more patient cats, he turned back to me. "You're a lot of help, you know that?" He frowned at his hand and walked over to where I was sitting in the living room. He plopped down next to me and sighed dramatically. "The orange one almost took off one of my fingers."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand, inspecting it for damage. There was one red scratch mark on his knuckle. One very small scratch mark. But even with that completely platonic action, I felt sparks shoot up my arm from his hand in mine. I pushed his hand back. "I think you'll live. Although you might want to wash that scratch."

He ignored me and leaned forward to see the pile of ingredients I was double checking against the instructions Mrs. Terwilliger left me. "Is this everything you need?"

I nodded.

He looked kind of impressed. "That's pretty awesome, Sage. You can find anyone in the world with a bag of potpourri and a silver tray."

I laughed. "It's a little more complicated than that, but basically, yeah."

It hadn't been hard to get Adrian to agree to help me. It hadn't even been hard to get Mrs. Weathers to agree to let me out past curfew. Adrian had showed up at Amberwood claiming a family emergency and she'd let us go, agreeing not to mention it to Jill or Eddie. After all, no need to worry them if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Getting Adrian to feed Mrs. Terwilliger's cats for me was an entirely different story. In the end I had had to agree to something that I didn't really want to do, but it was worth it to escape those monsters Mrs. Terwilliger called pets.

"Are we ready?" I asked him, looking back toward the feeding frenzy in the kitchen.

He followed my gaze. "Yeah. I put out two bowls of water like Jackie said and they're eating. But you get to clean their litter box tomorrow." He smirked and something in my chest clenched in response. "I'd do pretty much anything for you, Sage, but you're on your own with that one."

I cringed at the thought of having to clean out the litter box. This was why

I'd never had pets. That and my dad didn't like them. But hearing Adrian say he'd do anything for me sort of distracted me from my litter box woes. That shouldn't have made me so feel giddy and elated, but it did. Grateful that I didn't have time to think much about the consequences of that feeling, I tried to stuff it down as deep as I could and gathered the ingredients for the scrying spell.

Twenty minutes later we were well into the desert. We'd taken Adrian's Mustang and he'd let me drive. When I'd gotten in the driver's seat he'd made a ton of jokes about reunions and long lost loves. I was so happy to be behind the wheel I'd barely heard him. And I had missed this car something fierce. Driving it relaxed me, the purr of the engine soothed my fears about the spell.

I knew I could do the spell with little difficulty, but what about after the spell? What would happen once I found Marcus Finch? Would he have the answers I was looking for? I wasn't even sure what kind of answers I was expecting from him anyway.

When we pulled off the road and onto the flat gravel trail that would lead us to the exact place Mrs. Terwilliger had taken me a few weeks ago I could hear pebbles spitting up from the tires and scratching the paint.

"What's wrong?" Adrian asked, noticing the way I cringed.

I shook my head. "It's nothing. Just, I hate driving the car out here. Maybe we should have taken Latte after all."

His eyebrows rose and he smirked at me. "Latte? You named your car?" he asked. "After coffee?"

I scowled at him. "Of course I named my car. I name all of my cars. There's nothing wrong with it."

He put his hands up in front of him, a gesture of surrender. When he smiled at me my heart did that funny little skip thing like it had in Mrs. Terwilliger's living room. "It's cute, actually," he said, shrugging. "Maybe you should name this car too. It's got to be something badass though. Like The 'Stang!"

I pulled the car over and pulled the keys out of the ignition, choking on a laugh. "I'm not calling this car The 'Stang, Adrian."

He seemed legitimately confused by my rejection of his name. "Why not?"

"Because it's... cheesy," I laughed. "And completely unoriginal. No, if you want me to name your car than I'll think of something really good. It's a beautiful car and it deserves a fitting name."

He shrugged and got out of the car, walking around to the trunk to get the supplies. I followed him and helped lay out everything we'd need on an open patch of ground a little ways away from the car.

"I don't see what's so bad about The 'Stang," he said while we worked. "I think it's pretty awesome."

"Please stop saying that name," I laughed. "Or else I'll start calling the car Petunia," I threatened.

He made a face of mock outrage, but went back to helping me with the supplies for the spell. He'd managed to put me in a better mood. It was one of his many talents, it seemed. He could always lift my spirits no matter what the circumstances. I was glad we were back to being friends because I'd really missed that.

After setting up all of the things I'd need to make the scrying spell work, and explaining Adrian's role in it three times, it was only 11:30pm. The moon wouldn't be in the correct position until midnight so we'd have to wait a little while. It being so late, and the fact that it was already the end of November, the weather was getting colder. I'd made sure to bring a jacket with me but it was still freezing. I wrapped my arms around myself and leaned back against the Mustang's bumper while debating what I should name the car. It was one of the most beautiful cars I'd ever seen and it needed an equally magnificent name, so I wanted to really think about it before approaching Adrian with a name.

"It's freezing out here!" Adrian complained from his spot beside me. He ran his hands up and down his arms before cupping them in front of his mouth to blow warm air over his fingers. "We're in the middle of the desert, isn't it supposed to be warm?"

"Temperatures in the desert usually drop considerably overnight," I said, mimicking him and breathing into my own hands. "There's little to no humidity in the desert, so when the sun sets the heat that was absorbed during the day is lost. Even though we're in a desert, a place you'd usually consider to be hot, the temperature can end up plummeting a full sixty degrees at night. Especially during the winter."

I realized I'd gone into lecture mode and, shoving my hands into my coat pockets, glanced over at Adrian. I expected him to look bored, as was pretty common for him, but instead he was looking at me with rapt attention. I was a little shocked.

"Were you actually paying attention to me?" I asked.

Adrian gave me a half grin. "Of course I was paying attention. I love listening to you talk about stuff like that. It's interesting. I told you, you make learning fun." He leaned closer to me and bumped his shoulder into mine. I could feel the heat of his body even through my coat.

"So," he said, "no humidity means the desert doesn't retain the heat at night. Got it." He smirked. "If you had been my teacher in high school I would've gotten straight A's."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled despite myself. It touched me that he cared enough to actually listen to what I was saying. Most people ignored me when I went into lecture mode. Even a few of my teachers.

"Come on," Adrian said, nudging me toward the passenger door. "Let's sit in the car. I'll turn the heat on."

It wasn't until we were in the car and the heat kicked on that I realized just how cold I really was. I held my hands out in front of the air vent to try to warm them up. Adrian noticed and grabbed them in his. His larger hands swallowed mine up, but I felt immediately warmed. Although that could have had more to do with the electric feeling coursing through me then Adrian's body temperature.

I knew I should pull away. Remove my hands from his. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. "Thank you," I said quietly. In a few minutes, once my hands were warm enough, I'd pull away, but for now I should be polite.

"No problem," he smiled, but it looked strained. It was the smile he'd been giving me recently, ever since the kiss.

Thinking about the kiss was a bad idea. My eyes jumped to his lips and my mouth suddenly felt dry. I forced myself to meet his eyes, but that didn't help anything. They were so green, even in the dim light of the car. So impossibly green.

"Sage," he whispered, but it sounded like a warning. He wasn't smiling anymore. His expression was unreadable, but I knew him well enough to see the pain in his eyes.

I pulled my hands away and sat back in the passenger seat. I heard Adrian sigh, but I refused to look at him. I was so stupid. If I thought being around him was hard, what must he feel like around me? He had already expressed his feelings toward me, he wasn't the one...

For a split second I'd thought the word _pretending_, but I quickly suppressed that rumination.

Adrian shook his head gently. The leather of the seat groaned with the movement. My heart felt like it had plummeted into my stomach at the expression on his face. "I hate this," he said, still gazing at the roof of his car.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. It was all I could think to say. I knew it was unfair for me to ask him to remain friends when being around me so clearly hurt him, but I knew it also hurt him when we avoided each other. Try as I might, I couldn't think of a solution that would make him happy.

"It's not your fault," he said, tilting his head so he could look at me. He managed a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. "It's the Alchemists and their rules about dating outside of your own race that I'm upset with. Doesn't seem very forward-thinking to me."

I crossed my arms, deciding to go with the light tone he'd adopted. "Oh, yeah? And what exactly does the Moroi court say about dating humans?"

He pursed his lips, pretending to consider the question. "Well, it's frowned upon, I guess. But that's not so much a rule as a facial expression. A lot of Moroi royals make it, Sage. Including my father. About pretty much everything I do. It's never stopped me before." He winked and I couldn't help but laugh, although it was bittersweet. I didn't want to upset him. I didn't want him to hurt because of me for even one more second.

"Adrian, I'm... I'm sorry I can't give you what you want."

He sat up, his forehead scrunched up like he was confused about something. "What is it you think I want from you, Sydney?"

He studied me while I looked down at my hands in my lap feeling stupid. I couldn't quite explain why I felt shaky and unsure of myself. He touched my hand lightly with one of his fingers and I looked up at him.

"I have feelings for you, yes," he admitted. "Of course I have feelings for you. I'd be crazy not to! Well, I mean, I'm crazy anyway. And I'm probably crazy _to_ have feelings for you because you're an alchemist and everything, but I can't help it. You're so... You're just... I mean, I just want..."

My smile just kept growing wider and wider as he rambled. "You're tongue tied."

I couldn't believe it. He was never once since I'd known him at a loss for words. His silver tongue had probably talked him into and out of more situations than I'd ever know. When he noticed my expression he stopped trying to explain and laughed.

"This," he said, taking my face in both of his hands. "This is all I'll ever need. You smiling at me."

And suddenly I was the one that was tongue tied. I felt a bubbling of emotions in my chest, all fighting to escape my lips, but I clamped down on them. Hard. It didn't matter what I felt, I told myself, because at that moment I couldn't deny that I felt something. But Adrian and I couldn't happen. It didn't matter that he was looking at me like I was the center of his universe. Like I really was all he'd ever need. It couldn't happen. I repeated it in my head like a mantra until I'd managed to pull away from him and sit back in my seat. I didn't look back at him to see if his smile deflated at my rejection. I didn't want to know. I didn't want his haunted eyes to replace the image of that smile.

Thankfully my alarm went off just then, declaring it was time to cast the scrying spell.

"It's time," I said, grabbing for the door handle. Adrian followed me wordlessly out of the car and to the supplies set up outside.

I knelt to get everything ready. "You just have to—"

"Throw the herbs in your hair, I know. And then make sure you don't collapse." He gave me a small smile. "I remember from the last three times you told me."

I nodded and placed the picture of Marcus in the center of the silver tray. Adrian dumped the bag of herbs over my head as instructed, only laughing a little when a dried leaf stuck in my eyelashes causing me to bat it away. After that I focused all of my attention on the spell. I remembered the warm, floating feeling and sought it out. It was easier than last time. When I opened my eyes I saw a high rise apartment building. It was obvious that it was located in a highly populated city. From the building's architecture, I'd definitely place it in southern California. The street outside of it wasn't on an incline, so I ruled out San Francisco. I focused harder on the building, hoping to at least get an idea of which floor Marcus lived on. Instead I was swept up four floors and into the third apartment on the left.

There were dirty dishes on the countertop and a pizza box on the coffee table, but other than that the apartment was pretty tidy. It was still clear a man lived there. Or, at least, an Alchemist lived there. The walls, the couch, the carpet. Everything was neutral shades of tan and white. Not anything like Adrian's apartment with it's golden walls and mismatched furniture.

I pulled my focus back, trying for the address of the building. It was almost too easy to find one, and then to pull back even further and see the familiar skyline.

"Sage?"

Adrian's voice pulled me out of the vision and the warm feeling surrounding me faded. I looked up to see him kneeling next to me, a bottle of orange juice in his hand. "You were looking a little wobbly. Are you okay?"

I nodded and accepted the orange juice. It was getting easier and easier to control the magic, but it still took a lot out of me. I drank half the bottle before handing it back to Adrian.

"So?" Adrian asked, looking like an impatient kindergartener. "Did it work? Did you find him?"

"Yeah," I frowned. "I found him."

"So, what's wrong?" he said, confused by my expression. "Where is he?"

I sighed. "He's in LA."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! If you have any ideas about what Sydney should name Adrian's Mustang let me know! I'll choose the best name from the comments to be in the story!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Richelle Mead owns the VA series and the Bloodlines series.**

**Hey guys! This chapter is pretty loooong. Okay, maybe not that long, but it's a good length. And it introduces Marcus Finch! But there's still a bunch of Sydrian moments too. I really, really doubt that this is how this meeting will go in The Indigo Spell. I didn't even think this was how it would go in this story, but this is apparently how it turned out. So I hope you enjoy it, and that it's not stupid or cheesy or anything :)**

**Also, I just want to thank everyone who's reviewed or followed this story. You guys are great! A lot of you comment as guests so I can't really name names, but I love you all :D**

**P.S. (I know, I'm annoying) Don't forget to suggest some names for Adrian's Mustang. I haven't thought of anything I like so far, so if you have any suggestions I'll probably end up using one of them!**

I was beginning to hate Los Angeles. Every memory I had of the place was a bad one. Picking Adrian up at some random girl's apartment, locating Mrs. Terwilliger's sister there. And now finding Marcus.

It had all started with a fight with Adrian. He decided that he was coming along to LA with me to track down Marcus.

"I don't trust him," he'd said.

"Adrian, you've never even met him."

"That's why I don't trust him," he'd told me. "He's on the run, Sage. I'm not going to let you go there all alone. Especially not with the psycho witch sniffing around out there."

He'd made a good point about Genevieve, but before I'd agreed to him coming we'd had a discussion about what was and what wasn't in his jurisdiction to let me do. He'd agreed that his power only went as far as touching his hair or his paintings, and that was about it.

We'd gone on Wednesday morning because was already out for Thanksgiving break. Most of the other students had gone home for the holiday, leaving the campus fairly empty. Jill and Angeline were planning on watching a marathon of all the "greatest high school comedies ever" according to Jill. Eddie didn't look so thrilled about the movies, but seeing how excited Jill and Angeline were was enough for him to agree to watching them. They thought that I was running an errand in LA for the Alchemists and that Adrian was finishing up his homework for school. I hoped Jill wouldn't spy on us again, but even if she did we were only going to find Marcus. As far as Jill was concerned, he was just an old friend of Clarence's.

All of the lying and omitting truths was wearing on me, though. I considered these people my friends, but I was lying to everyone at every turn. The Alchemists thought one thing, Eddie and Angeline thought another. Jill, I'm sure, knew more than I would have liked her to know, but not everything. Only Adrian knew the whole truth, but it wasn't enough. I was getting so sick of lying.

"Turn up here," Adrian said, then changed his mind. "No, sorry. The next block down." He was trying to use his phone as a GPS, but it wasn't working as well as he thought it would. He shook it, like that would make it tell him the right directions. "Stupid thing," he muttered.

It didn't matter, though, once we rounded the corner. I could see where we were headed. "There it is." I pointed at the apartment building through the windshield.

Adrian leaned forward to get a better look. "Not the greatest neighborhood, is it?"

I had to admit, the building was a little run down compared to the buildings in Palm Springs. I found a parking space near the front of the building and we went inside.

The lobby was empty, save for a security guard at the front desk. There were a few modern looking couches that created a little seating area and pieces of cheap, generic looking artwork hanging on the wall directly across from the elevators. I thought about walking straight to the elevators and ignoring the guard all together. Just pretend that we belonged here. But the guard was eyeing us like he knew we didn't belong.

"We're here to see Marcus," I announced as I approached his desk. "Apartment 403." I hoped he was still going by the name Marcus or else this was going to end badly.

The guard looked from me to Adrian and then back at me, his gaze sweeping from my face to my sensible three inch heels. "No soliciting," he said, tapping a sign on the desk that said the same thing.

I nearly rolled my eyes. Why did people always seem to think I was trying to sell them something? I remembered Adrian saying something similar to me when Keith and I had first arrived at Palm Springs.

"We're not selling anything," Adrian said. "We're old friends. He's expecting us."

It only took me a second to realize what he was doing. The guard looked up at him all dreamy eyed and I bit my lip to keep from yelling. The guard waved us through without any further delays and Adrian dragged me into an elevator.

"You shouldn't do that," I said emphatically. "Not only is it wrong, but it's not good for you. You shouldn't use spirit for no reason like that."

Adrian smirked. "Relax, Sage. That was nothing. Besides, now we're one step closer to Marcus, right?"

I couldn't say I was happy with his flippant use of spirit, but I couldn't say I was _unhappy_ to be closer to finding Marcus. The elevator doors opened and we walked to apartment number 403 silently.

This was it.

I raised my hand and knocked.

After nearly a minute of waiting, no response from the inside, or at least none Adrian could hear. I knocked again. Louder and for longer this time. Still nothing.

"Maybe he's not home," Adrian suggested, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. I watched as he took out a credit card and began trying to pick the lock.

"Adrian!" I hissed. "That's breaking and entering."

"I know, but it's better than waiting in the hallway for him to get back." Just as he finished speaking the door popped open and he gestured me inside. I pressed my lips together in a scowl, but went into the empty apartment.

There was a short hall that opened up into a good size living space. The lights flickered on and I turned around in time to see Adrian closing the door behind him. He walked up to me and took in the room. The tan furniture that I'd seen in my vision was all there. The kitchen was separated from the living room by only a laminate counter top. There was fresh fruit in a bowl near the sink and the pizza box and dishes from my vision were cleaned up. Everything looked very neat and organized.

Adrian walked over and opened the refrigerator.

"Adrian!"

"You know," he said, closing the door and popping the top on a can of Coke, "I find it strangely attractive when you say my name like that."

It was just one of his offhand joking comments but as our eyes met the kiss came rushing back to me. I quickly turned away when I felt my face flush. "You can't just raid a stranger's fridge," I said with what I hoped was a steady voice. The phantom fingers running down my neck making my hair stand on end weren't helping matters any.

"We're not strangers, Sage. We're guests." He shrugged. "He just doesn't know it yet."

I exhaled loudly to let him know I wasn't pleased, but went to sit on the couch. It was a very nice couch, soft and comfortable. Nothing like Adrian's ugly, plaid monstrosity. It was funny because, while I wasn't quite sure of Marcus's financial state, I was pretty sure he didn't have a trust fund with his name on it. But he had a nicer couch than Adrian, who actually _did_ have a trust fund with his name on it.

"Hey," I said, my question having just occurred to me. "Why haven't you bought new furniture? Since your dad gave you your money back, I mean?"

Adrian strolled over and sat down on the arm of the sofa. He considered the question. "I don't know. Never really occurred to me. I like my furniture." He moved off of the arm and sat next to me. "My couch is nicer than this one, anyway."

My eyebrows must have touched my hairline. "Your couch has a spring sticking through the cushions," I stated, incredulously.

He smirked. "Character, Sage. That's called character." He ran his hand over the tan cushion. "This is just some generic department store couch. Mine's got history."

"Your's is plaid," I countered.

He grinned so wide his green eyes crinkled around the edges. "Oh, I forgot. Your favorite color is beige."

I smiled back. "My favorite color is not beige."

"What is your favorite color?" He asked. He was still smiling but he was serious now, a curious look glinting in his emerald eyes.

I opened my mouth but never got the chance to answer. The door to the apartment burst open and a man with a gun held out before him entered the room. Adrian and I both jumped up at the commotion, Adrian still holding the pilfered soda in one hand.

"Who are you? How did you find me?" the man was shouting. He sounded angry.

It took me a few moments to calm myself enough to look away from the deadly piece of steel in his hands and at his face. He was a handsome man, I could tell, but he looked dangerous at the moment with his eyes hard and wild. His blonde hair was shorter than in the picture, but it only took one glimpse of the blue swirls on his cheek to know who I was looking at.

Marcus Finch was home.

"I asked you a question!" Marcus yelled, waving his gun towards us. "How did you find me?"

I put my hands up to try to placate him, while glaring at Adrian. _Sure, breaking in was so much better than waiting in the hall._ "It's okay," I said softly. "We're not here to cause any trouble. My name's Sydney, this is Adrian. We just wanted to ask you a few questions."

Marcus's jaw tightened and he didn't lower the gun. "Well, _Sydney_, I don't exactly feel like answering any questions right now. And this," he removed one hand from the gun and used it to tap the cheek with his tattoo. "This will keep you from ripping the answers from my head, so you and your spirit lackey can go. You're not getting whatever it is you want today."

"Lackey!" Adrian scoffed. He turned to me. "Do I look like a lackey to you? Accomplice, maybe, but not a lackey."

"Adrian, shut up!" I hissed. I was still focused on the gun Marcus was pointing at us. I didn't know how Adrian could joke at a time like this. But it seemed that Adrian's comment had lessened the tension in Marcus's jaw. The gun wavered a little.

"He talks?" Marcus asked, looking a little confused.

I couldn't help but laugh at that, although it sounded a little hysterical, even to me. "He talks? He usually never shuts up!"

He paused. "Usually they don't talk."

"What does that mean?" Adrian demanded, insulted.

Marcus ignored him. He lowered the gun slightly and scanned my cheek. "Your with the Alchemists."

I shook my head. "No. I mean, yes, I am. But I'm not here with them. For them." I took a breath realizing I was beginning to sound like Jill. "I'm here on my own."

He shot a glance towards Adrian. "With a Moroi?"

Adrian straightened up to his full height and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm her backup," he said. In an undertone he added, "Lackey, my ass."

Marcus seemed to weigh us for another minute before finally lowering his gun. "Well, you can't be with the Alchemists if you're here with him," he said, motioning to Adrian with his chin. "You'd be sent to Re-education before you could even take credit for bringing me in."

"I told you, I'm not here with them," I reassured him. "We're actually friends of Clarence Donahue?" I figured mentioning the old man's name might set him at ease.

His eyes brightened. "Clarence?" He stepped closer and slid his gun into the waistband of his jeans. "How do you know Clarence? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. We live out by him and he told us he knew you." I pulled the picture out of my pocket. "See? He gave me a picture of the two of you."

I held out the picture and he took it before stepping back to study it. After a few moments he asked, "Why are you here?"

His eyes were full of suspicion, which was expected due to the circumstances, but strangely, I thought I saw hope there as well.

"I'm not sure, exactly," I admitted. "Clarence mentioned you, but when I asked the Alchemists about you they told me they'd never heard of you."

He laughed, but he didn't sound amused. "Of course they did." He shook his head and sat down in the recliner closest to him. "Wouldn't want it to get out that someone actually went against their beliefs and won."

Adrian and I sat back down on the couch. Adrian sat a little closer than necessary, but sprawled in that causal way of his. He sipped his Coke and looked like he didn't have a care in the world. I didn't think Marcus noticed the way Adrian's muscles tensed, as if he were ready to jump in front of me at a moment's notice.

"What do you mean?" I asked Marcus. "What happened between you and them? The Warriors of Light implied you'd done something—"

"The Warriors?" Marcus leaned forward in his seat. "You know the Warriors?"

"We had a little run in with them earlier this month," Adrian drawled. "Lovely bunch, they are."

I looked back to Marcus earnestly. "Clarence told me you helped him when the Warriors came after him. I was trying to do the same for a friend and I mentioned your name. They implied you'd done something. Something that went against Alchemist beliefs."

He smiled nastily. "Sweetheart, you sitting that close to a vampire goes against Alchemist beliefs. They're not the most laid back group of psychopaths I've ever met."

I could see Adrian bristle at the word sweetheart, but I ignored him, something else bothering me. "The Alchemists aren't psychopaths," I said firmly. "They have strict beliefs but they're not bad people. They mean well."

Adrian snorted and Marcus smiled. "Listen to your boyfriend. The Alchemists are bad news, and if you're here, a part of you knows that."

My jaw dropped and I looked back and forth between the two men, trying to ignore the small smile on Adrian's face. "He's not–he's..." I sputtered. "Look. I came here to find out why the Alchemists lied to me about knowing you. That's it. So if you'll tell me, we can be on our way."

Marcus sighed. "Let me guess," he said. "You're the daughter of a prominent Alchemist and you're doing your first solo gig involving Moroi. You've discovered that the evil creatures you were warned against aren't as evil as you thought." His tone was so condescending I wanted to slug him, but he went on. "And now you're starting to question your superiors. You're starting to look for answers as to how the _all-knowing_ Alchemists could be so wrong about their mission in life."

"No. I don't believe they're wrong. I just wanted to know why they lied about you," I said as primly as I could through a clenched jaw. "And this is not my first solo gig."

Marcus looked amused, but his tone was deadly serious. His eyes sought mine out as he spoke. "They lied about me because I'm the proof that they're mission statement is bullshit."

The atmosphere in the room was tense and I was glad that Adrian had come with me. I'd have been a little frightened of Marcus's intensity if I'd been here on my own.

A loud ringing suddenly cut through the room, startling the three of us. I quickly pulled my phone from my pocket. Eddie's name flashed on the caller ID. I met Adrian's eyes.

"It's Eddie," I told him. I looked toward Marcus. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

He nodded and gestured toward the kitchen. I answered the phone and leaned back against the countertop, praying that nothing had happened to Jill.

"What's up?" I asked a little too quickly.

"Hey, Sydney. Sorry to bother you. Angeline and I just realized that if we're making the turkey tomorrow, we're not going to have time to bake a pie for dessert. Would you mind stopping to get one on your way back?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. He was calling about dessert. Jill was okay. No random Strigoi attacks at Amberwood. I guess having a gun stuck in my face left me feeling a little dramatic. "Sure thing. It's not a problem."

Eddie told me what I needed to get and I quickly hung up. Only to realize that Adrian and Marcus were _talking_. Adrian was leaning forward in his chair like an eager child.

"So as long as you have that tattoo I can't compel you?" Adrian was saying. "That's pretty badass."

"It is," Marcus agreed, and I nearly rolled my eyes. "It also helps keep me off the grid, so to speak. The Alchemists have a hard time finding me as long as I have it. Gotta get it touched up every now and then, though."

Adrian nodded, his gaze a little unfocused. "I can still see your aura. The tattoo doesn't block that."

"Yeah. As far as I know, it only blocks magic being done to me. I can't be compelled or found in a spirit dream. I'm pretty sure a fire user could still light me up, though," he added with a smirk eerily similar to Adrian's.

They finally noticed me when I sat back down on the couch. "Everything okay?" Adrian asked.

"Oh, yeah. Eddie just wants us to pick up dessert on our way back."

Marcus smirked again. "Wow. You guys are all, like... domesticated."

Adrian laughed and I was struck by how well they seemed to be getting along. I hadn't expected that, at all.

"We're having Thanksgiving tomorrow," I explained. "At Clarence's, actually."

Marcus smiled sadly. "I miss Clarence." He looked down at the picture that was still in his hand. "After I ran from the Alchemists, he was like a father to me."

"Why _did_ you run?" I asked. "And how did you come up with that tattoo?"

"I discovered that the Alchemists weren't quite as righteous as they made themselves out to be." He took a deep breath and began his story. "When I was eighteen I was assigned to work at a Re-education center."

I gasped. I'd never known anyone who worked at one.

"Yeah," Marcus continued. "I'd only done one job on my own, but I'd gotten a little closer to a Moroi girl than the Alchemists liked. They decided to reassign me to a center. To scare me straight, as my dad put it. And it did. Only, not in the way they thought it would. Once I saw what went on there... I couldn't sit by and let it happen. I couldn't be a part of it."

"What was it like?" I asked quietly, afraid of his answer.

"It was like the ninth circle of hell. The number of alchemists that came through was staggering. Sent in for even the most minor transgressions." He looked up at me with anger in his eyes. "I saw someone be sent in for driving an injured Moroi to a hospital. He had been hurt in a bar fight and the alchemist was sent in to make sure no one had noticed he wasn't human. But because the alchemist hadn't called his superior first to ask permission he was sent away. Because he tried to help someone who was hurting he was tortured. They said he was sympathizing with evil."

He snorted. "Sympathizing with evil! The Alchemists talk a lot of crap, but in the end it's all about power. They want it and they'll do anything to keep it. Including using their so called _evil_ creatures to help with the torture."

I remembered seeing the man who wanted to be a Strigoi. I'd seen him in the bunker when I'd seen Keith. "But they help people," I argued. "They protect people from being compelled by Strigoi. The Alchemists protect humans."

"They do," Marcus agreed, "but they have no thought for the individual. It's all about the greater good. They condemn all vampires, good and bad. And they'll condemn anyone who disagrees with their ways." He sighed. "Look, I believed in what we were doing too, but once I saw... Once I knew what they were doing behind closed doors I couldn't stand it anymore. They have vampires in the centers, you know? They use them for their magic. They condition them to follow instructions the same way they conditioned you. Usually spirit users. They pick up a weak one, one who's mind is already broken. They use them to find answers or to cause pain. They have Strigoi, too. In cages. Sometimes the Strigoi even agree to help torture people. It's a good deal for them. They get as much free blood as they want, they just have to abstain from killing."

"Stop it," I whispered. I'd been so eager to find this man, to hear what he had to say, but now I desperately wanted to forget everything he just said. "That can't... It can't be like that. They wouldn't do that."

"Really?" Marcus asked me. "You don't _look_ like you don't believe me." He leaned forward and met my eyes. "I'm telling you the truth, Sydney. That's what you came here for, isn't it?"

Adrian had been quiet this whole time, listening, but now he sat up and put himself between me and Marcus. "Leave her alone," he said. From his tone I could tell he was scowling, but I couldn't look at him. I was too busy blinking back tears.

Keith's screams came back to me. The way he sounded. _"I'll do anything! I'll believe anything!"_ Keith was always one of the most cocky, stubborn, infuriating people I'd ever known. What he did to Carly was unthinkable. He deserved to rot in hell. But if what Marcus was saying was true, if he was being used as a blood bag for Strigoi...

My stomach heaved and I jumped up to run into the kitchen. I stood, retching into the sink, trying to push Keith's cries out of my head, but they wouldn't go away. My thoughts were a horrifying mix of Carly and Keith and fangs and blood. And worst of all, a part of me felt smug about it. _He'd gotten what he deserved_, it said. More of my breakfast found its way back up at the thought.

All of a sudden Adrian's arms were around me and I was pressed against his chest. I wasn't crying, though. I felt vaguely proud of myself for that. He smoothed my hair and said soothing words until I calmed down enough to pull away from him.

"I'm okay," I told him without looking up from the floor. I was too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said. He was standing on the other side of the island, just in the living room. "I shouldn't have unloaded that on you. It was too much, too soon. I just... I've never talked to anyone about it before. You're the first alchemist I've ever met who didn't want to stick me in one of those places."

I nodded. "It's okay. I wanted to know. I still want to."

"No," Adrian interrupted. "No more."

I looked up at him. "I told you, I'm okay. It's fine. I want to—"

"No!" he said again, his tone was final. He caught my wrist and pulled me closer, forcing me to crane my neck to see him. "You just threw up in the kitchen sink. Enough!"

I pressed my lips together, starting to get angry. "Adrian—"

"No, he's right," Marcus interjected. His eyes were softer than I'd seen them since he showed up. "It's enough for right now."

"But..."

"We'll talk again," he said. "Give me your number. We'll set up another meeting."

I finally agreed, although I wasn't happy about having to wait to find out more about Marcus. I was full of questions, more popping into my head every minute. Why did the Alchemists lie about him? Why were they still trying to send him to Re-education after all this time? What did he mean "_I'm the proof that their mission statement is bullshit_"? Why couldn't he just give me a straight answer now?

We exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes, Marcus swearing that he'd call me after Thanksgiving to set up a meeting. As Adrian and I walked to the door I looked up at him. I had an idea but wasn't sure I should act on it. My gut told me I could trust Marcus, but...

Adrian seemed to understand what I was thinking because after a few seconds of meeting my eyes he turned around to address Marcus.

"Hey, you should come to Thanksgiving tomorrow," Adrian told him, voicing my idea. "I'm sure Clarence would be happy to see you."

Marcus looked taken aback by the invitation. He looked back and forth between me and Adrian a couple of times. "Uh, no. No, I couldn't intrude."

"Who's intruding?" Adrian said. "We're inviting. Besides, you'd fit in with us misfits."

"Clarence will be really excited," I added.

Marcus chewed his lip, thinking it over, and I wondered at how alone he must have felt since leaving the Alchemists. He was in hiding, his own people hunting him down. It must have been lonely. I couldn't even imagine.

Finally, he nodded. "Okay. I'll come."

"Great." I smiled and gave him the address. "We can talk—"

"Nope," Adrian said and grabbed my shoulder to spin me back toward the door. "No work on a holiday, Sage. Tomorrow's about family and giving thanks. And," he added as an afterthought, "watching football."

I shook my head. "You don't even like football."

"Everyone likes football on Thanksgiving, Sage," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now, let's go get some pie."


	10. Chapter 10

**Richelle Mead owns the VA series and Bloodlines series.**

**So this chapter isn't quite as long as the last one, but it sort of came out of nowhere. This chapter was supposed to be Thanksgiving, but apparently Adrian and Sydney needed a quick moment to themselves. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And remember to review :)**

**And a big huge thanks to everyone reviewing. Especially Its-Funnier-In-Enochian, who's review made me look like an idiot because I was smiling so wide! You guys are such an inspiration :)**

It was a long drive back to Palm Springs. My head was spinning and not even Adrian's banter could keep Keith's face, horrified as he pounded on the glass in the bunker, out of my mind. Once my brain got going, I just couldn't seem to shake it. After the first half hour he had started cycling between leaving me alone with my thoughts and trying to cheer me up. Eventually, when he realized it wasn't going to work, he leaned his seat all the way back and closed his eyes.

He looked perfectly peaceful and I was a little envious. The only evidence that he wasn't sleeping was the way his fingers strummed a continuous beat on the arm rest. After awhile the sound of his drumming replaced Keith's screams and I felt myself relax.

When we got back to town I pulled into a parking spot in front of Brewster's Bakery, a little cafe/bakery that was a few blocks from Adrian's apartment. I could see through the store windows that there were at least ten other customers waiting in line already. There were more people sitting at tables in the front of the bakery. It looked like most of them were waiting on orders. The last thing I wanted to do was wait in line for dessert that I probably wasn't even going to eat, but I didn't want to ruin everyone's Thanksgiving just because I'd had a bad day.

Adrian sat up, readjusting his seat. "Let's get a cheesecake!" he said excitedly. It was the first time he'd spoken in awhile and it was probably the last thing I ever expected him to say, but at least it took my mind off of everything else. "My mom would always make sure the caterer made me a cheesecake drizzled in chocolate sauce and cherries on the holidays. You have to try it, Sage. There's nothing else like it."

I smiled for the first time since we left Los Angeles. As frustrating as he could be, Adrian was kind of adorable sometimes. "Eddie wants a pumpkin pie and an apple pie, but I guess you can never have enough dessert. We can get cheesecake, too."

Adrian was beaming as we walked into the bakery and got in line behind an older woman in a blue dress. She was tapping her foot impatiently while she waited for the people in front of her to order. Due to his height, Adrian was easily able to peer over the head of the woman and began listing all of the confections in the display and how great they all looked. "Ooh! That's it." He pointed at a lightly tanned cheesecake drizzled in chocolate and dripping cherry sauce.

"You remember our deal, don't you, Sage?" Adrian said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, remembering the deal Adrian and I had made a few days ago. I wasn't exactly happy with the terms of our arrangement, but eating a whole piece of cake sounded better than feeding Mrs. Terwilliger's crazy cats anyday. "Yes, I remember," I told him. I looked back at the cheesecake. "I'll admit, it does look pretty good."

"Pretty good? It's going to be delicious." He looked back at the display. "Although that chocolate cake looks pretty delicious, too."

I shook my head and hurried to step up to the counter once the woman in front of me was finished. I ordered Eddie's pies and then had to wait while Adrian tried to decide between the cheesecake and the chocolate cake. Eventually he chose the cheesecake—for tradition's sake, he said—and we moved to a table in the corner to wait for our order.

I felt emotionally drained and I really wanted a coffee. I wished I'd thought about it while I was still up there. I glanced at the line, which had grown since we'd entered. No way was I going back up there. Luckily, I was distracted from my coffee craving by Adrian.

"I can't wait for tomorrow. Being attacked by cats was totally worth getting you to eat a piece of that cheesecake," Adrian said.

I laughed. "You are far too obsessed with my eating habits."

"I could say the same for you," he quipped, before a serious expression spread across his face. Looking down at the table, he chewed his lip. "Are you okay?" he asked, finally.

My mood, which had already had plenty of ups and downs today, plummeted again. "I'm fine," I said anyway.

"I only ask because that was pretty rough back there." He paused and looked into my eyes. His voice was low when he finally spoke. "Why didn't you tell me about any of that Re-education stuff? I didn't know you could be sent away like that."

I shrugged. "It never really came up," I said. "And I didn't want to worry you for no reason. The Alchemists have faith in me now. They dropped the re-education thing."

Adrian's jaw dropped and I realized he hadn't known how close I'd already come to being sent away. "They threatened to send you there?"

I grimaced at the look of shock and fear in his wide, green eyes, but couldn't bring myself to lie to him about it.

"They more than threatened. They were sending me there. The fallout from helping Rose was pretty bad. The Alchemists weren't happy that I'd helped her. I'm pretty sure they wanted to send me then, I don't know what stopped them. They had me suspended while they figured out what to do with me. They didn't even want to send me out here. They were going to send my little sister Zoe."

I shuddered at the thought of Zoe in Palm Spings with a lily on her cheek. "I practically had to beg to get them to send me instead. Then, when I started asking questions about that tattoo parlor, Nevermore, Keith called the Alchemists and told them he thought I needed to be re-educated."

"Asshole," Adrian muttered, shaking his head in disgust.

I nodded. "The Alchemists haven't mentioned it since we busted him, though. They think I'm a perfect alchemist. They think I'm just career driven."

"I'm sorry, Sydney," he frowned. "I understand now. Why nothing can happen between us. I'm not happy about it, about any of it, but I understand."

And the funny thing was, I knew that he did. Really did understand. It was the sympathy I saw in his eyes. He knew that I was scared and trapped by a group I knew I couldn't trust. They'd lied to me, threatened me, threatened to take my sister if I messed up. But Adrian knew as well as I did that I couldn't leave them, no matter how I felt. Not that I was entirely certain how I was feeling. All I knew was that at the moment I was feeling betrayed.

Adrian looked me right in the eyes, his gaze more serious than I'd ever seen it. "But, Sydney, I want you to know that if they ever did try to take you to one of those places, I'd stop them. I'd get you out, we all would." He said it with such conviction I couldn't doubt his words.

"I know," I whispered softly. Saying that it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me was an understatement. I knew my own family wouldn't even try to break me out of re-education if it came to that, but this man, this person who's heart I'd broken because I wouldn't give up the very organization who had threatened to send me away, was promising me that he'd rescue me if I needed it. It was all I could do to say, "Thank you."

He frowned, something having occurred to him. "Is that... Did they put Keith in one of those places?"

I felt like he'd poured a bucket of ice water over my head, the nice warm feeling I'd just had while looking into his eyes evaporating as Keith's cries started up again in my mind.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I tried to tell them that it wasn't necessary, but they said he'd gotten too close. Making a deal with a vampire, even one made solely for monetary reasons, is too close as far as the Alchemists are concerned."

Adrian considered something in silence for a minute before addressing me. "Is that why you got sick? Because you know someone who's in re-education?"

I bit my lip. I could say yes, it wasn't a lie. I did get sick because I pictured Keith in re-education. He was the face to my nightmare, now. But it wasn't the whole truth, either. I decided I'd had enough lying, I was going to tell him the truth.

"Partly," I admitted. "The other part was because I kept thinking how much Keith deserved it."

I looked up at Adrian and knew he was thinking about the day Angeline, Dimitri and Sonya showed up in Palm Springs. Abe had been with them and had mentioned how I'd hired him to cut out Keith's eye in front of Adrian. Adrian didn't press me for answers at the time, deciding to trust me instead, but I could tell he was once again trying to figure out what Keith had done to make me hire Abe as a hit man. I could also tell that his imagination wasn't giving him any answers he was pleased with. His frown was growing more pronounced by the second.

I took a deep breath, committing to my decision. It wasn't a hard one to make, after all. I had decided a long time ago that I trusted Adrian wholeheartedly.

"When I was younger, Keith lived with my family for awhile," I began. "My dad adored him. Keith was his golden boy, he could do no wrong. So then... Well, actually, I'm not really sure what happened. I guess Keith expressed interest in my sister Carly and my dad must have thought it was a good idea... He made Carly go on a date with Keith."

I looked up at Adrian and saw that he was already catching on. His expression was soft as he silently nodded for me to continue. _He really is a lot smarter than most people give him credit for_, I thought before continuing.

"Carly didn't even want to go," I said. "She didn't like Keith. We always used to laugh about what a jerk he was. But Carly would never go against my dad's wishes, so she went on the date." I inhaled sharply and then tried to calm myself. When I spoke again, my voice was shaking, and I couldn't seem to make it stop. "When she got home she came straight to my room and told me what he'd done. I wanted to tell my parents, but she made me promise I wouldn't."

I felt my eyelashes becoming wet, but I refused to let the tears fall. "I was _fourteen_. I was scared and I didn't know what to do, so I kept quiet. And then Keith went home and Carly never mentioned it again. He'd gotten away with it, and it made me _so angry_." I sucked in a quick breath. "I wanted to hurt him, to kill him for what he'd done. When I met Abe in Russia, well, everything just sort of happened. I was still so mad. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

I looked up again to see Adrian watching me. He leaned closer to me and cupped the back of my head in his hand. "He's lucky he's in re-education," he said, his voice uncommonly intense. "If I'd have known I would have castrated the bastard."

I tried to smile, but it wasn't working. I still felt dangerously close to breaking down. I'd never told anyone about what happened to Carly. What I'd had done to Keith in the name of revenge.

Adrian seemed to realize I was upset because he didn't let go of me right away. He squeezed the back of my neck gently, trying to comfort me. "I'm not going to say what you did was right or wrong, Sage. I know you don't want to hear it. But I will say this." His eyes bore into mine. "I would have done the same thing if I were you."

His eyes were were glittering, his breath burning a path across my cheek, his hand still resting on the back of my neck. He was so close. Too close. We we're getting far too close. He knew too much. I'd heard too much today. I couldn't distinguish right from wrong anymore. The Alchemists were using vampires to torture people. Keith had raped my sister. Adrian was smoothing the hair back from my face.

How could anyone think this beautiful boy who looked at me like I was the center of the world was evil? How could leaning forward just an inch or two and pressing my lips to his ever be wrong?

I looked down at his lips and closed my eyes. The world was beginning to flip upside down.

"Excuse me?"

The world righted itself with the intrusion of the unexpected voice. I pulled away from Adrian and turned to see the old woman from the line staring down at us.

She cleared her throat and smiled. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said.

Adrian smiled politely at her. "Not a problem," he said kindly, although I could tell he wasn't pleased to be interrupted. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I was pretty sure I was grateful, but a part of me wanted to know what would've happened if we weren't disrupted.

The woman smiled, a white bakery box in her hands. I guess she'd already gotten her order. "I saw you sitting over here and I just wanted to say that you two are very cute together. You have an aura about you."

Adrian cast an amused sideways glance my way and smirked. "Do we?" he asked the woman.

"Oh, yes. I'm a wedding planner and I'm very good with guessing how long a couple's going to last. You know, most engaged couples never even make it to the actual wedding?" She pointed toward us with her free hand. "But you two, I can tell you two are going the distance, even though you're young." She smiled sweetly. "Soulmates if I've ever seen them."

Adrian grinned up at her, but I could tell he was close to doubling over in laughter. "Thank you, ma'am," I said.

Adrian turned, smiled at me and pinched my cheek. "She is quite a catch, isn't she?"

I made a face and smacked his hand away.

The woman looked pleased with herself and wished us a happy Thanksgiving before hurrying out of the crowded bakery. Adrian and I looked at each other and laughed, the emotional moment we'd just had forgotten.

Our order was called next and I drove back to Adrian's apartment to drop him and the dessert off. He'd agreed to bring the pies with him to Clarence's tomorrow.

Before he got out of the car, Adrian turned to me, his eyes fierce. "Everything's going to be alright, you know. It'll all work out. You'll see. What happened to Keith _will not_ happen to you."

I nodded mutely, but managed a small smile.

He gave me a smile in return and hopped out of the car, grabbing the dessert as he went. This time when he looked at me, his smile was brighter. "And remember our bet. You're going to eat a whole piece of this cheesecake," he taunted, playfully waggling the boxes around.

That time I really smiled, thankful for Adrian's ability to change the subject so easily.

Despite the day I'd had and all of the things I should have been thinking about, I couldn't shake the old woman's words as I drove back to Amberwood. Probably because, at the moment, it was the topic causing me the least amount of stress.

I could deny it until I was blue in the face, but I _had_ been about to kiss Adrian in that bakery and that woman had seen it. She'd said we were soulmates.

I'd scoffed at the idea when Trey had used the word to describe Braydon. And I still thought the idea of soulmates, of one perfect person for everyone, was ludicrous. It was statistically improbable. But thinking of Adrian... Well, I wasn't sure, but the idea didn't seem nearly as ridiculous when it was Adrian I was thinking about.


	11. Chapter 11

**Richelle Mead owns the VA series and Bloodlines series.**

**So here's the Thanksgiving chapter, because every Indigo Spell story has to have one. Hope you enjoy it. And remember to review!**

The next day was Thanksgiving. Eddie and Angeline borrowed the keys to my car the night before so they could head over to Clarence's early in the morning to get started on the turkey. I wasn't sure how they knew what to do, but I seriously suspected that they were googling recipes in much the same way Adrian had when he made soup. I could only hope that they cooked everything properly and no one ended up getting sick.

I got up early and tried to get some homework done, since we weren't expected at Clarence's until early afternoon. I managed to get all of it done and even studied one of the spell books Mrs. Terwilliger had given me. My head wasn't really in any of it, but I could study with my eyes closed and still make straight A's, so I wasn't too bothered.

Eventually, Jill knocked on my door, interrupting my half hearted study session. I let her in and she threw three outfit choices on my bed. "Which one?" she asked.

I was a little taken back by her asking my opinion. Jill usually told me I had the fashion sense of some of her teachers, so I was sort of flattered that she'd asked. I stepped toward the bed and gave each outfit a once over.

The first one consisted of skinny jeans and a purple chiffon blouse that I thought was very cute. I didn't usually wear purple, but the color would compliment Jill's pale skin perfectly.

The second outfit was a little riskier. Jill had good taste and I'd never seen her show off her body the way Angeline sometimes did, but the combination of red camisole with a see through black lace blouse was out of her usual boundaries. It was a stunning selection, matched with a black skirt that would probably make her long legs look fantastic, but it seemed a little much for a "family" get together.

The last outfit choice was more my style. A simple, cream colored cotton top, matched with a pair of dark jeans and a sweater. It was a well put together outfit, and Jill would look lovely in it, but my eye kept going back to the purple blouse. If she was trying to impress Eddie—which, if she was asking for help choosing clothes, she was—then it was the most eye catching without being too over the top.

I pointed to the purple outfit and Jill smiled. "Yes. That's the one I picked, too!" She picked the outfit up and handed it to me. "It's perfect. Go put it on."

My mouth opened and closed and I knew I must have looked like a fish. "But," I said, confused. "I thought we were choosing an outfit for you?"

Jill smiled again, but she looked a little sheepish. "Oh, no. I've already got my outfit picked out. These were for you."

I looked from her face, back to the other two outfits laying on my bed. I pointed to the red one. "Did you really think I'd wear that?"

She wrinkled her nose and fingered the black lace blouse. "Well, no. Not really. That one was just in there as a control outfit. I needed to have a totally wild one mixed in with the other two, so that there would be a scale of varying options."

"You were experimenting on me?" I was shocked and confused. Why would she do something like that? Even worse than the fact that she did it, was that she had thought it out so thoroughly. "Why on earth would you do that?" I asked.

"It's because I wanted to see what your taste in clothes is really like," Jill said quickly. "And see? When you thought you were choosing my outfit you went right for the cute and colorful one! You know what that means, don't you, Sydney? It means you're not as drab as you dress."

I blinked at her a few more times than necessary. "Drab?" She thought I was drab?

Jill must have noticed how insulted I felt. Or maybe she could see the hurt on my face, even though I was trying to hide it. "Well, no. You're not drab, exactly. You have really nice clothes and really good taste," she back peddled. "It's just, you rarely let yourself dress... I don't know, appropriately, I guess."

"Jill, I dress appropriately," I said. I had a whole closet full of suits and skirts and blazers. "I dress more appropriately than some of the staff at this school."

Jill lifted one eyebrow as if to say, _duh_. "I meant appropriately for your age. Sydney, you're eighteen. I've seen you dress like it, maybe, twice since we've been here. And once was at the Halloween dance so I'm not sure it counts, because Lia made you wear that outfit."

Thinking about Halloween sent my thoughts spinning to that night in Adrian's apartment, after the dance, when he told me I was beautiful. Which, in turn, reminded me of after he kissed me, when he had said the same thing again.

_You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth._

My heart rate picked up a little at the memories, but I forced the thoughts from my mind.

"I don't mean it in an insulting way," Jill was saying. "I'm not trying to be mean. But you have good taste and a great body, you should show it off a little every once in awhile."

My brain started putting the pieces together then. Jill's wardrobe experiment, telling me I should dress differently. But it was the comment about me having a great body that made everything click. I leveled my gaze at her. "This is about Adrian, isn't it?" I asked.

Jill shook her head, her light brown curls bouncing slightly. "No. It's got nothing to do with him." She bit her lip and then shrugged. "Well, he worries about you sometimes, but he's got nothing to do with the clothes. That was my idea. I thought you might like it. Thought it might make you feel better about yourself, or something. Whenever I'm feeling down, I like to dress up."

She was starting to ramble.

"Jill," I interrupted. "I don't feel bad about myself. I'm fine. And I _like_ the way I dress."

She looked down at her feet and then nodded. "Okay. Sorry. I didn't mean anything."

Watching her turn, pick up the clothes off the bed and walk out the door, I suddenly felt like I'd kicked a kitten. I shouldn't have been so sharp with her. She was just trying to help, after all. Adrian was worried about me having body issues, so naturally Jill would know that. I should be grateful that she cared enough to try and help me, even if I didn't actually have a problem. And... I really did like that purple shirt. It wouldn't kill me to wear it to Clarence's. I was following Jill out the door before I even realized what I was doing.

She turned around when I called her, her eyes wide and hopeful. I walked over and picked the blouse from the pile in her arms.

"I'm sorry," I said, sincerely. "I'd like to wear the shirt, if you'll still let me borrow it."

She nodded eagerly, a huge grin in place and it lit up her face like a Christmas tree. "Yes! Of course. You can always borrow anything you want, Sydney. You're practically my sister."

After she said the words she flushed and her eyes darted around the hall to make sure no one had overheard. But I got the impression she was more embarrassed about admitting she thought of me as her sister than about the slip in our cover story. Besides, all of the girls in this hallway had gone home for the holiday. There wasn't anyone here to overhear her.

"Thank you," I said, lifting the soft purple material slightly. "For the shirt."

"Wait," Jill said, digging through the pile of clothes. After a moment of maneuvering on her part to avoid dropping anything, she found what she was looking for. "Take the jeans, too. They'll look great with the shirt."

I took the jeans and checked the size. I had to stifle a frustrated sigh when I saw the tag. "Jill, these won't fit me. They're too small," I said, handing the jeans back.

She refused to take them. "Just trust me. Please, Sydney? I promise, they'll look great on you."

Her green eyes were begging me to take the jeans, so I did.

She smiled and practically skipped down the hallway back to her room. I shook my head and went back to my room to change into Jill's outfit. It amazed me how happy she could be just because I'd agreed to wear her clothes. But I knew it was more than just the clothes. She had had such a rough time back at Court and then it didn't get much better once she'd arrived to Amberwood. And since breaking up with Micah she was back to having only a few friends. Since Lia tricked her, she hadn't even mentioned modeling, but I knew how much she missed it. Then there was the whole Eddie and Angeline thing... If wearing a pair of too-tight jeans made her happy, I'd do it.

I slipped the jeans on, thinking about Jill's earlier words.

_You're practically my sister._

The words caused an unexpected swell of guilt in my chest. I always felt like I should be doing more for her, treating her better than I did. I knew from Adrian and Eddie that Jill hadn't really bonded with her biological sister while she was at Court. I knew how stressful being queen must be, but I also knew what it felt like to be pushed aside by a busy family member, and Jill deserved better than that.

I pulled the purple blouse over my head then turned to the mirror to see how bad it was and gasped. The purple chiffon sleeves sat delicately on my shoulders, making me look almost elegant somehow. The way the material clung to me gave the impression of curves that weren't really there. Jill was right about the jeans, as well. They were tight, but not in a bad way. They made me look like I had hips. I looked... kind of hot. Nothing like me.

I suddenly flashed back to when Adrian told me I should gain a few pounds. Is this what I would look like if I took his advice?

_Probably not._

I don't know how long I spent looking in the mirror, but I stopped when Jill knocked on my door again. This time she was wearing a pale blue dress that complimented her perfectly.

"Adrian's here, so we should probably get goin–" Her eyes flew open when she saw me. "Oh, Sydney. You look amazing!"

I smiled and turned back to the mirror quickly. "You were right," I admitted. "The jeans do fit."

I saw her nod in the mirror. "And they make your butt look awesome," she laughed.

I turned to grab my purse and jacket off of the desk, partly because we needed to go and partly to hide my blush at her words. "Ready?" I asked her.

She smiled to herself and followed me out the door. "Ready."

###

It was noon by the time we got to Clarence's house. Jill had spent the whole ride over chirping about one topic or another with Adrian. I didn't add much to the conversation, choosing instead to listen and gaze out the window. To he honest, I was feeling a little embarrassed about my clothes now that I was with Adrian. His reaction hadn't exactly been unexpected, but that only made it worse that I'd chosen to wear the outfit anyway.

When he'd seen me walking to the Mustang his eyes widened and he stood up from where he'd been leaning against the car. "Wow," was all he'd said, but his eyes spent a few seconds running the circuit from my face to my feet and slowly back up again. I'd felt like my entire body flushed from the way he was looking at me.

Jill had dominated the conversation on the drive over so I happily took the time to calm myself down. Besides, it was too late to change now, we were already here.

Jill lead us into Clarence's living room, still chatting with Adrian. They were talking about his art showcase this weekend, but I stopped paying attention. The smells coming from the kitchen sent my mind back in time to when I was young. The smell of my mom's cooking filling up the whole house on Thanksgiving day. Carly and Zoe and I racing around to set the table before Dad came down to carve the turkey.

Eddie came out of the kitchen to greet us. "Hey guys," he smiled.

"Everything smells so good," I told him. "Did you guys have any trouble?"

"No everything went great! Angeline's actually a really good cook." He smiled fondly when he said Angeline's name. "We're almost done. Just waiting for the turkey to finish. Dinner should be ready in another hour or so."

"Sounds good," Adrian said, handing Eddie the pie boxes we'd picked up yesterday. "Put these in the fridge, would you, Chef Castile?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, but took the dessert and went back into the kitchen.

"Now, come here, Sage," Adrian said, motioning for me to follow him to the couch. He grabbed the channel changer for the TV and sat down. "I'm going to teach you all about football."

I rolled my eyes, but sat down next to him.

###

An hour later and all I knew for certain about football was that Adrian knew less about it than I did.

"The rules don't matter, Sage," Adrian told me after failing to answer yet another one of my questions. "It's the tradition of watching that counts."

"Sure it is," Jill said, leaning forward to grab a handful of potato chips from a bowl on the coffee table. Dorothy had come in with an array of junk foods while Adrian was "teaching" us. Eddie and Angeline had come in a few times too, only to roll their eyes at Adrian and then go back in the kitchen to check on the food.

I laughed at Jill's remark and Adrian glared at me.

"Fine," he muttered and flipped the channel. He kept going until he found a station playing the Thanksgiving parade. "Yes! They're replaying the Macy's parade. Do you guys know how much I love the parade?"

"Yes," Jill said, dryly, but Adrian didn't seem to care.

"It's my favorite part of the holidays," he continued. "I always watch it, since I was a kid. The nanny turned it on to keep me busy one Thanksgiving and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I mean, there's a giant floating Snoopy. Who wouldn't love that, right?"

Adrian's smile was contagious, but my heart ached for him. Me, my mom and Carly had always watched the parade together while Mom cooked. When Zoe was old enough she'd started watching with us. It was a family tradition. While I was watching the parade with my family, Adrian had been watching it all by himself. I almost couldn't suppress the urge to reach out and take his hand. Almost.

"The floats always scared me when I was little," I told him instead. He gave me a look like I was insane and I laughed. "I was three. I didn't realize what they were the first time I saw them. I thought they were giants that came out on Thanksgiving."

Adrian laughed, a real laugh. The kind that comes from deep inside of you. His green eyes crinkled at the edges in a way that made my stomach do a cartwheel, but I ignored it.

"I realized they were just balloons pretty quickly," I defended. "But, for whatever reason, they've always sort of creeped me out ever since."

Adrian put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. "You need me to pull my manly act and protect you from giant Scooby Doo?" he asked, motioning towards the television with his free hand. A giant float shaped like the cartoon dog was currently rounding the corner at 42nd Street.

I grinned up at him. "I don't think you could take on Scooby Doo. He deals with monsters for a living, you know."

Adrian smirked and started to say something, but was interrupted.

Eddie cleared his throat. "You guys about ready to eat?" he asked. I spun around and saw he was holding a platter with a turkey on it, and he was looking from me to Adrian's arm with a confused look on his face.

I wiggled out from under Adrian and went into the dining room to help with the food. I could feel how red my face was, but Eddie didn't say anything. Adrian and Jill followed us, and the tension in the room suddenly felt unbearable.

Why did I let Adrian put his arm around me? That was stupid. Eddie saw. Now he suspected something, I could see it in his eyes. I wanted to shoot Adrian a look, one that said I was furious with him for doing something so stupid, but I was afraid Eddie would notice the eye contact. Instead I went into the kitchen and helped Angeline and Dorothy carry out the rest of the food.

Once everything was on the table and everyone was seated, Clarence took his seat at the head of the table. "Before we eat, I just wanted to say that I'm thankful all of you are spending Thanksgiving here with me and Dorothy. It would've been awfully lonely this year, with Lee away at school."

We all looked at one another, no one willing to tell him that Lee was dead. Jill looked pale, but managed a small smile for Clarence. It was awkwardly silent for a moment, before Angeline spoke up.

"I'm thankful to be here," she said. "I've never celebrated Thanksgiving before—we don't celebrate it at home—but I'm glad that I'm celebrating with all of you." She smiled and looked at Eddie.

"I'm thankful everyone's safe," he said. "This last year's been a little crazy, but I'm glad we're all here together."

Jill said almost the same thing, as well as Dorothy. Then it was my turn.

"I'm thankful I met all of you," I said honestly. "And for the fact that I can call you all my friends."

Everyone smiled at me and then turned to Adrian. He was still looking at me, but quickly looked away before anyone besides me noticed that he was wearing that dreamy expression again. He looked down at his plate.

"I'm thankful to be a part of a family of people who love and support each other." He shook his head. "My real family never supported one another, I didn't think any family did. But you guys are a family, a real family. More real than the people who raised me. And what makes a family, really? Blood? Because we've got blood, but no bond. Bonds are more important..."

I reached out and grabbed his hand, concerned. He was rambling like he did whenever his spirit got out of hand. "Adrian, are you okay?" I asked softly.

He looked up and his expression snapped back to normal. He looked down at my hand, still clutching his, and gave it a squeeze. "Yeah, Sage. I'm good. Just hungry." He smiled. "So, how good does this food look?"

We all ate and talked and laughed, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Adrian. He'd shaken off his little episode, but I couldn't help but be worried. I'd seen him go on spirit induced rants before, but not in a while. He'd been doing really well, and he hadn't been drinking or smoking. A part of me was afraid he'd backslide, but a bigger part of me was afraid for what might happen if he didn't. Adrian's vices were his only weapons against spirit.

Jill told me once that spirit was slowly making Adrian go insane and it was something that weighed on me whenever he slipped into one of these moods. I wanted to help him somehow, but there wasn't anything I could do. There wasn't anything anyone could do besides Adrian. Getting drunk seemed to work, but that wasn't the healthiest option, especially with the bond. He'd said he didn't like taking anti-depressants, but they were the only other proven method for handling spirit madness. I made a mental note to talk to him about it later.

We were just finishing up dinner when a knock sounded at the door. Dorothy went to answer it, coming back a few moments later with a man behind her and a big smile on her face.

"Clarence," she said. "Look who's here." She nudged the man forward until he was standing right next to Clarence's seat.

The man looked down and smiled almost shyly.

Everyone inspected the visitor. Jill looked at him curiously, while Eddie and Angeline were full of suspicion, even though I'd already mentioned that this man was expected.

The moment Clarence realized who his new guest was he jumped from his seat and threw his arms around the younger man. It was the most activity I'd ever seen out of him.

"Marcus, my boy," Clarence laughed. "What are you doing here?"

Marcus clapped a hand on Clarence's shoulder. "That's kind of a long story," he said, then turned to smile at me. "In the mean time, I believe there were promises of pie."

###

Once the table was cleared, Dorothy brought out dessert. Everyone was sitting around the dining table listening to Marcus and Clarence regale us with shared memories. It was sweet to watch, since most of us just sort of ignored Clarence a lot of the time. But Marcus was patient and kind to the older man, even when he had trouble remembering certain details or would go off on random tangents. I was having a hard time concentrating on their stories, though.

Adrian had excused himself from the table a few minutes after Marcus arrived, but hadn't come back yet. I kept watching the door, waiting, but he never came. Eventually, I excused myself too, and went to find him. I was already worried about his spirit episode and his disappearing was not putting my mind at ease.

Once I'd eliminated all of the rooms in the house I wandered outside. It was still early and the sun was bright in the sky, though I knew it wouldn't be long until sunset. I went around toward the back of the house, to Sonya's garden, and found Adrian sitting on a bench near a flower bed.

"Hey," I said with a small smile as I approached him. "You're missing all the fun inside."

Adrian looked up at me, but didn't say anything. He looked terrible, like he was exhausted. He hadn't looked like that before and it scared me.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

Her rolled his eyes. "Do I look okay to you? Does any of this look okay to you?"

I took a step back, uncertain as to why he was in a bad mood. It had to be about spirit. I asked him as much.

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. It wasn't anything like when he'd laughed at me earlier. "Spirit," he confirmed bitterly.

I walked closer, so that I was standing right in front of him. "I wanted to talk to you about it. About ways to prevent things like what happened in there. I know you drink to keep it in check and I was wondering why—"

"Why I'm not smashed right now?" he interrupted. "Why good, old Adrian's not falling down drunk, passed out on the couch, face down in his gravy?"

"_Stop,_" I snapped. His attitude was beginning to irritate me. "Just calm down, alright?"

"Calm down?" He looked up at me with anger in his eyes. "Sure, I'll calm down. What's there to be upset about, anyway? I'm just losing my mind. No big deal!" He was starting to yell.

"Adrian—"

"You know, I don't really enjoy losing my shit in front of everyone," he shouted, pointing to his head. "It's not really my idea of a good day."

"Adrian, don't yell at me," I told him. "I'm just trying to help."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again he looked apologetic, but still frustrated. "I know you are, Sydney, but it's..." He shook his head and when he spoke his voice was barely a whisper. "It's embarrassing, okay? Especially, in front of you."

_Oh_. I sat down on the bench next to him, taking his hand in mine. "You shouldn't feel embarrassed," I told him. "You don't ever have to feel embarrassed in front of me."

He pulled his hand away, refusing to make eye contact. "It's not that easy. There's something _wrong_ with me and when it takes control, I... I slip away. It's me, but it's not really me, you know?" He looked up at me, his expression miserable. "Sydney, you're so rational all of the time, completely logical. I hate not being able to think rationally around you. I don't want you to feel like I'm some crazy guy you have to take care of. You already take care of everyone else, you don't need my problems, too. I just wish I could control it on my own, without any of that crap."

I could feel my heart breaking for him. I could see in his eyes how desperately he was trying to will away his demons, but they weren't going anywhere.

"I don't think you're crazy, Adrian," I said, taking his hand again. This time he didn't pull away. "And I certainly don't mind helping you with your problems. You're my..."

My what? I was about to say he was my friend, but that wasn't quite it. It was more than that and, even though I shouldn't encourage his feelings, I needed to tell him that I cared about him. But what was he, if not just my friend? Soulmate was definitely _not_ the right answer to that question, even though the word had been rearing it's ugly head ever since yesterday afternoon when we'd met that old woman in the bakery. After a few more moments I looked back at Adrian with my answer. He was just gazing at me, waiting patiently for me to collect my thoughts.

"You're my best friend," I said, softly. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."

Adrian stared at me for a few seconds, like he couldn't believe his ears. Like he was trying to piece together what I said in a way that made sense. After a moment, his face crumpled and he closed his eyes. He leaned forward and for a second I thought he was going to kiss me, but he just leaned his forehead against mine, squeezing my hand like a vice. I closed my eyes, my free hand moving to the back of his head. We sat that way for awhile, him holding my hand, me stroking his hair. Both of us in our own world, sharing each other's air.

Until my phone rang.

I jumped back, suddenly aware that the bubble we were just in didn't actually exist. There was no escape from the real world, not for long, anyway. I apologized and pulled my phone from my jeans pocket.

Adrian sighed and leaned back on the bench, looking at the sky.

"Hello?" I answered, not bothering to check the caller ID. I just hoped that whoever it was didn't notice how flustered I sounded.

"Hey, Sydney!" the voice on the other end of the line chirped. A very familiar voice.

I stood up, clutching the phone tighter. "Carly?"

"Happy Thanksgiving," my sister laughed. "How are you?"

"Happy Thanksgiving. I'm good. Why are you calling? Is everything okay at home?"

I heard her sigh over phone and knew she was rolling her eyes at me. "Yes, everything's fine. Well, besides Dad and Zoe being too busy to help cook dinner. Mom and I had to do it all by ourselves," she complained. "I miss you. Can't a girl call her sister on Thanksgiving just because she misses her?"

I laughed, feeling stupid and relieved all at the same time. "Yes, you can. I miss you, too. How is everything there?"

I turned around and saw Adrian watching me intently, not even pretending to be disinterested in my conversation. I knew he could hear every word being said over the phone, so I walked a little ways away, hoping to minimize his eavesdropping capabilities, or at least guilt him into stopping. He smirked and the worry eating away at me subsided a little.

He was okay, at least for now.

Carly gave me the rundown on everybody. I was disappointed to hear Zoe was training with my dad all the time now. I'd hoped when I took this job she'd lose interest in becoming an alchemist. It seemed that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. I was, however, happy to hear that Carly was doing well in college and that she liked all of her classes this semester. She even told me about a guy she liked in her English Literature class. I rolled my eyes when she told me my mom bought a new car. A Camaro that she was going to fix up and sell. My mom was always buying cars, fixing them up, and selling them. Or, more often than not, she bought a car, fixed it up and then kept it because she just couldn't bring herself to part with it. Carly thought this was going to be one of those cars.

"She's totally in love with it," she laughed. "I'll admit, it is gorgeous. Maybe I can talk her into letting me have it when she's finished."

I smiled. "Good luck with that."

"So, how are you? You haven't actually told me, yet."

"I'm fi—"

"And don't tell me you're fine!" she said.

I laughed. "Okay, I'm _not_ fine? Really, Carly, I'm okay. But everything's classified, remember? Can't really give you any details."

Although for a moment, thinking about the boy who I knew was still listening to my conversation, I wished I could. I wished I could ask her advice. Carly had had boyfriends before, and she knew me, maybe _she_ could sort out what I was feeling. But I couldn't ask her, and not only because the boy I wanted to ask about was sitting right behind me, but because even though Carly wasn't an alchemist, she was still raised like one. She was brought up to believe all vampires were evil, brought up to fear them, maybe even more than me since she was never going to have to face one as an average citizen. No, I could never tell her about Adrian.

"Yeah," she said. "I know. But if you ever need to talk or anything just call me, okay? I'm worried about you."

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." But I promised her I'd call, anyway. I said goodbye and hung up, slipping my phone into my pocket, before turning back to Adrian.

He studied me curiously. "Your sister?" he asked.

I nodded.

He stood up and came over. Smiling and touching my arm gently, he said, "Come on. Let's go inside. You still have to make good on your end of the deal."

I shook my head, smiling. "Fine," I said, thankful that he was feeling better. "But only if you have a piece, too."

Now he laughed. "Sage, I'll probably end up eating three pieces. And the rest of your's because, who are we kidding? You're never going to finish a whole piece."

The way he said it bothered me, just like he knew it would. It was a challenge and that part of me that seemed to be rebelling against everything recently, accepted that challenge.

"I'll finish the whole piece," I said confidently, following him back into the house.

When we went into the living room, Marcus and Clarence were still talking quietly. Dorothy was fussing over Marcus like he was her long lost son. Angeline and Jill were talking about a couple of girls in their science class, but smiled when they saw Adrian and I come in. I sat down next to them, but I was distracted by Eddie. He was on the phone and he didn't look very happy.

"But are you sure that's the best idea?" he was saying.

A pause.

"I know that, but—"

I could hear a female voice on the other end of the phone talking. A lot.

Finally, Eddie sighed. "Okay. I'll tell them, but I want to go on record saying that I think this is a bad idea."

Eddie rolled his eyes at the person on the phone.

"Yeah, you too. Bye, Rose."

He hung up and finally noticed that Adrian and I were back.

"What did Rose want?" I asked, intrigued. Whatever it was, Eddie obviously wasn't happy about it. For a second I was scared that the hereditary laws had been passed. That our time here in Palm Springs was up.

Eddie huffed. "She was just inviting us to Sonya's wedding."

That got the girl's attention and they both turned to look at Eddie. "Are we going?" Jill asked.

I wasn't sure if she was excited or scared, but she was definitely worked up. I understood why Eddie had been firmly against this idea on the phone. Jill shouldn't be anywhere near Court. It was too dangerous.

"I don't know if we're going," Eddie told her. "It's dangerous, but Rose and Lissa are insisting."

"Can't we go?" Jill pleaded. "Please. We were just caught off guard last time. This time nothing will happen, because you and Angeline won't let anything happen."

I wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or sooth his worry, but either way it seemed to be working. He gave her a long look before turning to me.

"What do you think, Sydney?" he asked. "Rose says that Sonya's cut the wedding back to only a few guests, that way there won't be many people around. She's saying that there will be more guardians than guests, but... I don't know." He looked at Jill. "You really want to go?"

"Yes!" She practically bounced out of her chair in her excitement. "It's Sonya's wedding, you guys. You can't tell me you don't want to go."

"But it's your life, Jill. That's more important than a wedding," I reasoned.

"I agree," she said. "But, you heard Eddie. There will be more guardians than guests. I'll be fine."

"I could make her a spirit charm," Adrian put in. He was sitting next to me, on the arm of the couch. "It'd disguise her so no one would even know she was there."

I'd seen Rose use a spirit charm once before and knew that it would keep Jill from being recognized, but I couldn't agree to that. "No," I said firmly. "It's too much spirit."

"Don't worry. I can handle it, Sage." He leaned down a little and whispered in my ear. "I promise. I can handle it."

I wasn't happy with it, but Adrian was an adult and if he said he could handle it he could. I just had to trust him. I nodded slightly and he smiled.

"So we can go then?" Jill asked Eddie.

"As long as Adrian can disguise you, I guess it would be alright." He looked over at Angeline. "We're going to have to be extra alert. I know you want to see Court, but..."

"I know, I know," she said. "I'll get to see it another time. Jill comes first."

Eddie seemed happy with her answer and told us the details of Rose's call. Everyone was pleased about attending the wedding, but I was nervous. About Jill, about Adrian. About everything.

Adrian got up and came back with two plates, each with a piece of chocolate and cherry drizzled cheesecake. He sat next to me, handing me a plate.

"Eat up, Sage."

And I did. I don't know if it was my nerves or Adrian's challenging looks, but I ate the entire piece. And he was right, it was delicious.


	12. Chapter 12

**Richelle Mead owns the VA series and Bloodlines series.**

**First, I want to acknowledge a few questions I've received in reviews. To answer Lala, I haven't ruled out using any of the quotes Richelle posted, but I'm not actively trying to fit them in. So far all I've used them for is inspiration.**

**And to answer Violet, I try to post once a week, usually either on Saturdays or Wednesdays. But I usually just upload whenever I get a chapter finished so you guys can read it as quickly as possible.**

**Also I want to thank all of the reviewers and followers out there. You guys are all awesome, awesome, AWESOME! I'd name names, but it would take up too much room. And I can't even describe how happy that makes me, you guys! So review and let me know what you think of this chapter. There are things I love about it and things I don't, so let me know :)**

**P.S. If any of you watch Gossip Girl, did you notice that the girl interviewing Nate was named Sage? Chace Crawford (who is my Adrian Ivashkov) calling a girl Sage? O.M.G. *dies***

Saturday afternoon everyone hopped into my car and headed downtown. Adrian's art was being showcased at a local tea house and we were all going to support him. I knew he was excited and nervous, even if he tried to play it off cool. He'd called me yesterday to double check if we'd be there and Jill had been on edge all morning. She sat quietly in the passenger seat as we drove, her foot tapping nervously against the floor mat.

When we pulled up in front of the tea house I was surprised to find it was already packed. I spotted Adrian's Mustang but there were no open spots near it, so we swung around the block and then walked back once we'd found a space.

There was a crowd milling around outside the store. They looked like they were all around college age, give or take a few years. I spotted Adrian immediately. He was leaning against the brick facade of the building, smoking a cigarette and talking to a girl.

My heart jumped in my chest and I had the most unpleasant feeling in my stomach. I knew what it was I was feeling but chose to ignore it, because it was ridiculous. I didn't have any right to be jealous that he was talking to someone... No matter how she was smiling at him.

"Adrian," Jill called, running over to him. He put the cigarette out a moment before she threw her arms around him. Eddie congratulated Adrian on the turn out, while Jill told him how excited she was and tried to peer in through the window of the store. Even Angeline looked excited for him.

I walked up more slowly, still watching the girl Adrian had been talking to. She was pretty. Long wavy brown hair, wide blue eyes, tall and lean, but still possessing the curves that I didn't. She had a cigarette between her fingers and was watching Adrian carefully, like a lion stalking its prey. A part of me—a part very deep inside, which I refused to let surface—immediately didn't like her.

When I looked back toward my friends, Adrian was staring at me. He smiled when our eyes met. "There you are," he said. "I was afraid you were still trying to find a parking spot." He gestured around the crowd. "Impressive, huh? How many people come out to support a crazy, alcoholic artist?"

I opened my mouth to say something about how, historically, most famous artists were both crazy and alcoholics, but Jill was already talking.

"Can we go in?" she chirped. "I can't really see from out here."

"You've already seen his paintings," Angeline said. "What makes it so special now?"

Jill shook her head, but was already dragging Angeline through the door. Eddie smiled and followed after them.

I looked back at Adrian to see if he wanted to go inside. He didn't look like he wanted to move just yet, and the brunette was still standing there, too. She looked at me a little impatiently, like she was waiting for me to leave.

Oh. Maybe she was.

"Well," I started, feeling my heart drop into my stomach. I gestured toward the door. "I should probably–"

"Not yet, Sage," Adrian interrupted. He turned and glanced through the window. "I don't really want to go in, yet. There's a lot of people in there still."

I looked at him, feeling confused. "But isn't that the point? For people to come and see your work? To meet you?"

"Well, yeah," he said. "But it's... nerve-racking. My teachers like my paintings, sure, but this is different. These are real people."

"Your teachers are real people, too," I reasoned. "And they're probably a million times more critical than the public will ever be."

"It's different," the brunette spoke up. "It's like putting your soul on display for the world to criticize." She took another drag of her cigarette before stomping it out. She reached over and touched his arm, smiling, and my stomach twisted into a tight, painful knot. "You have nothing to worry about, Adrian. Your work is innovative and intelligent. It's got an emotional depth that you don't see a lot of anymore."

I wanted to roll my eyes at her pretense, but it probably wouldn't have been fair to her. For all I knew she was some sort of art connoisseur, and not just a bimbo flirting with Adrian.

Adrian grinned, clearly enjoying being complimented. "Thanks, Nicki." It took him a few seconds to realize that I was still standing there. "Oh, sorry, Sage. This is Nicole. She's in my watercolors class." He motioned at me. "This is Sydney."

I smiled politely at the girl. She did the same, but lost interest in me quickly. She looked back at Adrian, clearly ready to pay homage to his awesomeness some more, but stopped short.

It took a moment to realize it was because Adrian was looking at me. And he looked worried. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "You're making that face you make when you're trying to hide what you're thinking."

I flushed, but managed to laugh a little. I hoped it didn't sound as forced as it felt. The last thing I needed was Adrian or this Nicole girl to know how upset I was about them... I don't even know. It was stupid. He wasn't flirting with her or anything—or, at least, flirting back. And we weren't together, anyway. I was supposed to be his sister. I put on my best nonchalant expression. "It's nothing," I said. "Just a little smoky out here."

"Oh," he said, fingering the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. "Sorry. Nerves."

"It's alright," I told him. "You still nervous?"

He smiled and reached out to take my hand. Our fingers intertwined and he squeezed gently. "Not anymore." He tugged on my hand, completely oblivious to the way Nicole was staring at us. "Wanna go in now?"

We walked into the tea house, still holding hands. I knew I should have let go, but I couldn't. Not yet. I just wanted to feel the way the sparks shot up from between our palms for a few more seconds.

There wasn't any rational reason for the way Adrian made me feel, the way it felt like I'd touched a live wire every time our skin was in contact, but I knew that it made no difference. Nothing about the way I felt for him was rational. I couldn't explain it away and I was starting to think that maybe I didn't want to. When I thought of Adrian with someone else—I flashed back to the way Nicole had smiled and touched his arm—I felt sick. I knew it was a mixture of jealously and possessiveness, but it actually made me sick to my stomach. I didn't want Adrian to be with someone else. I wanted him to be with me. Maybe it was wrong to feel that way, maybe it was impossible, but it was there and it wasn't going away. I was starting to doubt if I considered a relationship with Adrian wrong at all. I mean, we were friends—really good friends—and the Alchemists believed that was wrong, but I didn't. Adrian wasn't evil and he was my friend, so where did that leave me in regards to what was supposedly right and wrong? There was too much going on in my head now, too much doubt and mistrust. I needed time and answers before I could even begin to think about the implications of my feelings.

I caught sight of Jill, waving a hand over her head to get our attention. I let go of Adrian and walked over to where she was standing with Eddie and Angeline. Eddie was staring at one of the paintings, one that looked like a setting sun cutting across a desert sky. It took me a moment to realize it wasn't a sunset I was looking at, at all, but something angry and dark. Red slashes through a dark abyss. It reminded me a little of Adrian's love paintings he'd done awhile ago, but at the center there was a door. A simple wooden door, no ornate carvings or anything, but through it spilled rays of golden light. It was small, so small I'd mistaken it for the glow of the sun, but it was definitely a door. I stared at it, feeling as if I was missing something. It was a normal feeling for me whenever I was looking at Adrian's paintings.

I must have been looking at the painting for longer than I thought, because when I looked back up Jill and the others were a few paintings over. Adrian was introducing them to an older woman wearing a t-shirt with the tea house's name printed on it. I assumed she was the shop owner who had set all of this up. I was about to go over to join their conversation when the brunette from outside walked up to me.

Nicole didn't look at me, instead studying the painting. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked. "So raw, so powerful. What do you think it means?"

What was I supposed to say to that? I couldn't make something up, she'd know I didn't know what I was talking about. I'd studied art before, but I was bad with abstract art. I could never tell what it was supposed to mean. And Realism wasn't an art movement Adrian seemed fond of.

I told her as much. It was slightly embarrassing to admit, but not nearly as much as trying to make up a meaning on the fly and guessing wrong. To my surprise and relief, she was actually very nice about it. It reminded me that I had no real reason to dislike this girl, other than the fact that she was interested in Adrian.

"Yeah, Adrian's pieces are a little hard to make heads or tails of sometimes. They're incredible, but I think that's because they're difficult to interpret. You can really see his emotions in them though." She gestured to the painting. "He brought this one into class. Said it was titled 'A Window Closes'."

I looked back at the painting. There was no window, just a door... An open door. A window closes, a door opens. Oh.

"It's about opportunity," I said, suddenly certain. "Through all the hurt and pain he's been through, he feels like he has another chance now."

Nicole was smiling. "Yeah. That's what I think. He won't say for sure, but the title sort of gives it away. Although, usually the saying is the other way around. A door closes and a window opens."

I turned to look at her, really look at her for the first time. She was pretty, and smart. And she seemed nice. There really wasn't any reason to dislike her. I smiled, but froze when I saw the expression on her face. She looked shocked and a little dismayed.

She pointed toward my face. "Your tattoo, it's lovely. Very unusual."

I reached up and touched the cheek with the lily tattoo. I'd forgotten that I'd left it uncovered today. "Thank you," I said, unsure of how to proceed. I could tell she wasn't just giving me a compliment, but I didn't know what else she could possibly mean. Did she know about the Alchemists somehow? My heart started racing at the implications. But if that was true, then what interest would she have had in Adrian?

I studied her for a moment, while she did the same with me. Finally, she sighed. "I think I understand Adrian's art a little better now," she said.

"What do you mean?"

She looked over to where Adrian was still talking to Jill and then turned back to me. "He uses a lot of lilies in his paintings. And gold. Lots of gold. Golden eyes, golden hair, golden lilies. Now I understand where it's coming from." She gave me a polite, but sincere smile. "He really is an amazing artist. Tell him I said bye, would you?" Then she turned and walked away.

I was still thinking about her words. _Golden hair, golden eyes, golden lilies_. Things that represented me? He was painting me? I turned back to the painting on the wall, to the golden beams shining through the door. The gold represented his hope, his opportunity. Me. I thought back to all of the paintings I'd seen in his apartment. Every one run through with gold paint in some form or another.

"Hey."

I nearly jumped. Adrian's voice was right next to my ear. I turned to face him. "What were you and Nicole talking about?" he asked. His beautiful green eyes still held a hint of concern.

I wasn't sure what to say, so I told the partial truth. "The painting," I said. I wasn't sure what I was feeling about him representing me in his paintings, so I didn't want to mention it just yet.

"This is pretty cool," he grinned. "Cindy just told me a guy actually approached her about buying one. Can you believe that?"

I grinned back, happy that he was happy. I was glad that people appreciated his art. "That's amazing, Adrian. Which one?" I asked.

"The one at the end, over there." He pointed to a painting near the windows. I couldn't see it from where I was standing, but there were a lot of bright colors in it. "Come on, I'll show you."

He had started to drag me through the crowded shop, which was starting to fill in even more as the sun set, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I checked the caller ID.

"I have to take this," I said to Adrian, holding up the phone.

He nodded and told me he'd be over at a table with Angeline when I was done. I looked over and sure enough, Angeline was watching the crowd and sipping tea at one of the tables in the corner. Jill and Eddie were talking near one of the paintings not too far away.

I went outside and answered my phone.

"Hi, Sydney!" Carly said. "What are you doing right now?"

"I'm working," I said. "Why? Did you need something?"

"Oh. No," she said. "I don't want to bother you, it's just..." She hesitated.

"Just what, Carly?"

There was a long pause before she answered me. "Well, I'm sort of... in Palm Springs."

"You're what?" I demanded. How could she be in Palm Springs? She was supposed to already be heading back to school by now!

"Don't get mad, okay?" she said. "I was driving back to school and I thought 'How about a little detour to go see Sydney?' I missed you and thought it might be fun. You know, because you're all by yourself out there and I thought–"

"So you came here! Because you think I'm lonely?" I didn't know what to make of this. "Carly, that... You could get in trouble!"

"By who?" she scoffed. "Dad? What's he going to do, ground me? I'm not an alchemist and I'm an adult, there's not much he can do anymore."

I thought about her answer. She was right, there wasn't much he could do about it. He'd still be upset with me, though. The Alchemists would probably claim I was endangering the mission, but Carly wasn't going to tell anyone where the Dragomir princess was hiding. What would it hurt to see her? And knowing she was right here, in the same city...

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Um..." I heard her moving the phone around. "Downtown, at a little cafe. I don't know what street."

"I'm downtown, too," I told her, excitedly. "At an art showing."

"Oh, that sounds like fun! Mind if I join?"

I was about to say yes, when I remembered who's art showing I was at. "It's... it's actually a work thing. I don't think you'd want to come here."

"It's, like, for what? Vampire art?" she asked, sounding intrigued. I had been expecting fear, not curiosity.

"No," I said. "Well, actually, yes. It is, but it's... You know what? I'll just meet you at the cafe."

"No!" Carly exclaimed. "I don't want to interrupt your work. I'll just come there." Before I could disagree, she said, "I promise, I won't freak out. Besides, I've never, you know... met one before. I'd like to see one. And if you've been working closely with them than they can't be all that dangerous, can they?"

I was speechless. Carly actually wanted to meet a vampire? And she'd driven all the way to Palm Springs from Utah to see me. Without telling my dad. I quickly gave her directions and hung up. Something was going on with my sister, and I had no idea what it could be.

###

I waited outside until I saw Carly pull into a spot across the street in the same silver sedan she'd taken to college with her a year before. She smiled when she saw me and rushed across the street, her long blonde hair flowing out behind her shoulders. She looked exactly like I remembered her, except for her clothes. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, something my dad would never let her get away with when she still lived at home.

"Hey, sis!" She pulled me into a hug. "I've missed you so much."

I pulled away. "I missed you, too, but Carly? What are you doing here?"

"Still right down to business, I see," she muttered, her brown eyes rolling.

"Carly, it is good to see you. But you know you aren't supposed to just show up like this. You're not even supposed to know where I am. What's going on?" A thousand different scenarios had been running through my head while I was waiting for her. They'd ranged from her getting engaged and being afraid to tell my parents to her becoming a horrible gambler and owing a hundred grand to her bookie. I took a deep breath and asked her about the only scenario that seemed realistic enough to be true. "Are you pregnant?"

Her eyes bugged out of her head. "What? Sydney, no!" She shook her head adamantly. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Well, than what–"

Suddenly, Carly's eyes bugged out again, but not from shock, or even fear. I'd seen that look a lot, recently, mostly from waitresses or sales girls. I almost rolled my eyes. I knew exactly who was standing behind me without even having to look, but I did anyway.

Adrian was standing there, his head cocked to the side, studying first Carly and then me. His eyes met mine and were full of questions. It wasn't hard to tell that Carly and I were sisters. We had similar hair color and textures, and our eyes were the same color, although she looked a lot more like my mom than I did. But it was more than enough for Adrian to guess who Carly was.

"Adrian, this is Carly," I introduced them. "Carly, this is Adrian Ivashkov."

Her eyes widened a little, and I imagined that, this time, it was out of fear. She wouldn't recognize that he was Moroi as easily as an alchemist would, or the name Ivashkov as being royal, but the Russian last name would have at least set off a red flag in her mind. I watched as the pieces clicked together, as she realized she was standing less than three feet away from a vampire.

"You're Sydney's sister," Adrian said, extending a hand to her. He smiled warmly, making sure to hide his fangs. He was trying not to scare her. "It's nice to meet you."

Carly looked at his hand like it was a snake ready to strike, but she reached out and shook it anyway. I was impressed. Maybe Carly would've made a decent alchemist, after all. "Nice to meet you, too," she said quietly.

Adrian took his hand back, stepping away from us to lean against the brick wall of the tea house. "So, what brings another Sage sister all the way out here to the desert? You don't have a lily on your cheek, so I'm guessing its pleasure and not business."

Carly relaxed a little when he stepped back. He was handling this well, putting her at ease so she wouldn't be afraid. I smiled at him, letting him know I appreciated it. He nodded slightly in return.

"I wanted to see, Sydney," Carly said. "She didn't get to come home for Thanksgiving so I thought I'd come visit on my way back to school."

He smiled at her again. "That's nice." He gestured back to the shop. "I'll let you two catch up. Feel free to come on in and buy a painting if you want." He smirked. "They're really good. I know the artist."

Carly watched him walk away and then turned to me in confusion.

I just rolled my eyes and moved to lean against the wall. "Are you going to answer my question now? Why are you here?"

Carly turned around and leaned next to me. Her eyes drifting over the street in front of us. "Oh my god," she murmured, pushing off the wall.

She was avoiding my question and it was really starting to annoy me.

She walked right over to the Mustang, practically drooling over it. Carly was never great at fixing cars the way my mom and I were, but she knew everything about them. I watched her eyes bug out of her head with a small smile on my lips, even though I was still irritated.

"1967," she said. "Original paint." She peered through the window. "Original leather. This is a masterpiece."

"Yeah. And it drives even better than it looks," I grinned.

Carly spun on me. "You've driven it? Is it yours?"

I shook my head. "No. I drive a Subaru, it's parked on the next block over. This is Adrian's, actually."

She raised her eyebrows and looked back at the car. "Hot and he has good taste," she muttered.

"Carly!" I said, astonished that she would think of him that way. She was supposed to be scared out of her mind.

"Oh, don't try to tell me you don't think he's hot," she said. "I don't care if he is a... you know. He's still hot. One of the hottest guys I've ever seen, to be honest."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I couldn't argue with her because she was right, Adrian was hot. I'd thought so since the first time I'd seen him on those security tapes in Las Vegas, back when he was dating Rose. Still, I was more than a little stunned by my sister's comment. She was afraid, I could tell, but not as afraid as she should be. Maybe growing up outside of the Alchemists had desensitized her somehow. The first thing regular humans thought about vampires were that they were mysterious and romantic, not evil and inhuman. Maybe Carly thought that, too. I mean, Adrian was friendly to her. He did exude a certain charm, and he could be incredibly romantic at times. But mysterious he was not. There was no way he could ever shut up long enough to seem mysterious.

My phone buzzed and I took it as an excuse to avoid commenting on Carly's statement. Of course, it turned out to be a text from Adrian.

_Now I've got 2 Sage's drooling over my car. U want the keys?_

I couldn't help but smile. I looked over toward the window of the tea house and could see Adrian and the gang sitting at a corner table together. Adrian was smiling back at me. I shook my head and typed a quick reply.

_It's okay. I've got to take them back to Amberwood soon anyway._

Carly was still examining the car, paying no attention to me whatsoever. She still hadn't told me the real reason she came here. Maybe I could take Jill, Eddie and Angeline to school and then come back to talk to Carly. My phone buzzed again, and I looked down at it.

_Take the car. I'll bring J and the lovebirds home 4 u. We'll switch later. I don't need 2 b here much longer anyway._

A swirl of warmth spread through my chest at his offer. He was willing to leave his show early, just so I could spend time with my sister. A show that was no doubt helping him make a name for himself in the art community here in Palm Springs. I accepted his offer and thanked him. His reply came a second later.

_Anything 4 u._

When I looked back up Carly was standing closer than I'd realized. And she wasn't looking at the car anymore, she was staring directly at my phone. I clicked the screen off and hurried to shove it in my pocket.

"Let's go talk," I said. "You'll tell me all about why you're really here. And maybe I'll even let you drive." I gestured to the car.

Carly raised a suspicious eyebrow. "I thought this wasn't you're car?"

"It isn't," I told her with a smile. "But I've commandeered it for the evening."

###

We drove around for awhile, or Carly drove around while I sat in the passenger seat listening to her explain why she'd felt the need to drive hundreds of miles out of her way to see me. I knew it would help calm her while she spoke. Driving always calmed me.

"It's Mom and Dad," she said.

"Are they okay?" I asked, beginning to panic even though she'd already assured me that everyone was fine.

"Yes. But while I was at home over break I heard them fighting." She glanced at me quickly before turning her eyes back on the road. "Zoe was out, doing gun training with the alchemists. Mom was so mad. She kept yelling at Dad, telling him he was going too far."

"I agree," I told her. "I don't want Zoe to be an alchemist anymore than Mom does. She thinks she wants this life to impress Dad, but she'll regret it."

Carly eyed me. "Do you regret it?"

I nodded, but couldn't bring myself to speak the word. It felt almost blasphemous even to think it, but this was Carly and I trusted her not to say anything.

Carly went on without comment. "It was more than that though. Dad kept saying how it was the only way to keep Zoe safe. Just like it'd been the only way to keep you safe. What does that mean, Sydney? Do you know?"

I shook my head. What could it mean? Maybe he was worried that without the Alchemists Zoe and I would get ourselves into trouble somehow. But then why didn't he make Carly become an alchemist? I voiced my thoughts and Carly agreed.

"It didn't make any sense to me either," she said. "Then Mom said ,'There isn't any proof that they're still looking for us. No one's ever gone after Carly.' I swear, Syd, my brain feels likes it's been run through a blender. Who would ever go after me? Or you, or Zoe? I doubt she was talking about vampires."

"I don't know," I said, distractedly. My brain was trying to piece together the fragments of my parents conversation she'd given to me. I had a feeling I knew what they were talking about, but I wasn't sure. If I was right, though, my whole world was about to change. "You didn't hear any more?"

She shook her head. "No, sorry. I accidentally stepped on that squeaky floorboard by the bathroom. You know the one? They realized they weren't alone and started whispering. Couldn't hear much after that. It's weird though, right? Mom doesn't usually get involved in Alchemist affairs. But she's freaking out about Zoe. I thinks it's got something to do with the Alchemists suspending you a few months ago."

"You know about that?" I asked.

"Yeah. Zoe told me all about it. About how close you came to being thrown in a Re-education center." She shuddered, just a scared of those places as I was. "She also told me that she was 'lined up for her first job' when you came along and 'snatched it right from under her." She made finger quotes and did a pretty good impression of our sister, but I didn't find it amusing.

"She's still mad at me?" I asked softly.

"She'll get over it," Carly assured me. "You did the right thing, Sydney. She's only fifteen, she doesn't need to be out here with these things."

I flinched a little at the way she referred to my friends as things and she noticed.

"I'm worrying enough about you being out here," she went on, her eyes darting from the road to my face. "You like him, don't you?"

I gaped at her. "What?"

"This guy, Adrian?" She motioned toward me. "You like him. You were smiling while he was texting you. And then he comes over and hands you the keys to his car, smiling and looking at you like that. And I saw the last text he sent you." She shook her head. "Anything for you? Really, Sydney?"

"No," I said, starting to panic. I took a breath and managed to get back under control. "That wasn't what it looked like. It's not like that."

She sighed, in pity or disgust I didn't know. "Sydney, he's cute, but he's not worth it. He isn't human. You'll be locked away for good."

"I told you, it's not like–" I stopped myself when I realized how guilty I sounded. There was no way my sister was ever going to believe me. She wasn't stupid. I turned to look out the window. "You don't know what you're talking about, Carly. Don't assume you do."

She shook her head. "What I know is that I've never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at him back there. And it scares me, Sydney."

I tried to think back. How had I been looking at Adrian that she'd seen so much? She knew in five seconds what it had taken me weeks to process. I closed my eyes.

"I won't argue with you. You're just going to believe what you want no matter what I say," I told her. "But whatever you do, please don't tell anyone. Not anyone. They'll have me sent away–"

"I would never do that," Carly said firmly. She reached over and took my hand and I squeezed it tight. "You're my sister. I would never rat you out like that. But do you really like him? I mean, he doesn't make you, like, you know..." She clicked her teeth together in my direction and I blanched.

"You think he bites me?" I shrieked. "No! I would never let anyone do that. Are you kidding me?"

Carly smiled a little. "Good. Because that's just gross." Another thought seemed to occur to her. One equally as unappealing. "You two aren't... you know? Right?"

"Aren't what?" I was never great with subtlety, and I certainly wasn't understanding her vague questions now.

"Are you having sex with him?" she said bluntly.

I flushed all the way to my toes. The images flashing through my head at the thought were making it hard to form a full sentence. "No. No. I'm not... I mean, I'm still a... No, no."

"Good," she said. "He's attractive, and an evil creature, so I thought..."

"I know what you thought, but the answer is no," I said. "We haven't done anything. We're not _going_ to do anything. We're just friends."

"Friends is bad enough in the eyes of the Alchemists," she said.

"I know," I whispered. "Trust me, I know. But they aren't at all what the Alchemists make them out to be." I turned in my seat so I could look at her. "Strigoi are evil, but Moroi and damphirs are just people. As good and evil as humans are. And I've seen my share of evil humans in the past couple of months. Those 'evil creatures' have saved my life over and over again." My voice was rising as I spoke and I tried to calm myself. It wouldn't do any good to look hysterical.

"Okay," Carly said. She pulled over near a coffee shop and looked me in the eyes. "Sydney, I trust your judgment. If you say these vampires aren't evil than they aren't. But you have to be careful. I've never been a fan of the Alchemists, but they do make a good point. Vampires drink blood, they have magic. Those things aren't natural, you used to say so yourself. So even if _these_ vampires won't harm you, that's not to say no vampire will."

"I know that," I assured her.

She nodded, seemingly happy with my answer. "Okay, I just want you to be careful. Even if the vampires don't hurt you, all it would take is one slip and the Alchemists will throw you away for good. I don't want to lose you."

I smiled at her. "There's no way you'll ever lose me. I would never let that happen."

She started to get out of the car, to buy me some coffee. Her treat, she said. But I stopped her.

"Wait, why did you have to drive all the way here?"

Carly looked at me like I had two heads. "We've been over this. Cryptic conversations, attackers coming after us? Ringing any bells?"

I shook my head. "No, I mean why did you _drive_ here to tell me? Phones, email, text messages? Ringing any bells?" I mimicked.

She stuck her tongue out at me, but was serious when she spoke. "It scared me," she admitted. "I didn't know who of what they were talking about, and I obviously couldn't ask them about it. I was going to tell you when I called you on Thanksgiving, but I chickened out. I remembered how Dad was always saying the Alchemists could see everything. I know they have no qualms about tapping phones and they were investigating you... I didn't want anyone to find out."

I nodded. "They aren't still investigating me, are they?"

"No, not as far as Zoe knew," she said. "Dad would never tell me even if I asked, but Zoe said everyone was back to worshipping you."

I bit my lip. Zoe thought the Alchemists worshipped me? They lied to me, tricked me, threatened to send me away, treated me like a drone. I prayed she never had to find out how they really were, how little they actually cared about they're own.

"Will you buy me that coffee now?" I asked Carly, jumping out of the car. "We could just hang out for awhile."

She took my arm and walked into the store. "That sounds nice."

###

After I took Carly back to her car and said goodbye, I drove over to Adrian's to pick up Latte. It was parked in front of his apartment and I was about to pull up behind it when I remembered the parking restrictions on that street. I doubled back and parked behind Adrian's building, instead.

Adrian opened his door holding a paintbrush in one hand. His gray t-shirt was covered in light blue paint. "You have a good time with your sister?" he asked, closing the door once I'd walked in.

I nodded, smirking at him. "You have a good time with that paint?" I asked him. "What were you, rolling in it?"

He made a face and looked down at his shirt. "The tube of sky blue broke." He pulled the hem up to get a better look, exposing a slice of skin across his stomach. My mouth went dry and I couldn't look away. I cursed Carly for the thoughts that were flashing through my head. "It squirted all over the place. Thank god, it only got on me. As much as I love cleaning, I'd rather not try to get acrylic paint out of the carpet."

I forced my eyes away from his waist and the smooth skin that was still showing there. "I've told you, you should put down plastic if you're going to paint in the living room."

"Well, where's the risk in that?" he smirked. "Life's a gamble, I'll take my chances."

I sighed. "And eventually you'll end up on your hands and knees trying to get acrylic paint out of your carpet."

"Probably," he agreed with a smile. "So, you going to tell me why Carly was really here, or is it a secret?"

By the time I finished telling him everything Carly had told me it was close to curfew. I'd left out the stuff about him, though. That would just be entirely too awkward to bring up.

"Do you think they were talking about witches?" I asked him. It was the only thing my parents might be afraid of. If they knew about witches to begin with, which they must, since I was one. Sonya had said there was magic in my blood. I'd assumed it was from the tattoo, but now I was rethinking it. Magic was genetic, just like eye color, hair color, height. One of my parents had to have the trait in order to pass it down to me, so one of them must know about magic. One of them must be a witch, too.

"I don't know any reason Moroi would target Alchemists," he said. "Strigoi wouldn't have a reason, either. Maybe your parents are in the witness protection program and the mob is after them," he joked.

"Adrian, this isn't funny," I said, my voice beginning to shake. I was getting worked up, but I couldn't calm myself down. "_Someone_ is after my family. And I'm willing to bet that it's got to do with magic. Ms. Terwilliger says I'm strong, that's why Genevieve would want me. What if it's the same thing? One of my parents could have someone after them for their power."

"Look, I don't know what's going on with your family, but whatever it is, it's going to be okay, Sage," he promised. "They've managed to stay safe all this time, and no one has attacked any of you. Your sisters are safe. So are you."

"You're right," I said. "Still, I don't feel any better."

"Well, there is the good news," he smiled.

"What good news?" I asked.

"If your parents do know about magic than they already know what you can do. Isn't that a good thing? They already know, and they still love you. They haven't sent you to one of those re-education places yet."

"But they lied to me," I said, suddenly feeling betrayed even though I knew he was right, of course. If my parents already knew about magic, it meant they wouldn't disown me for being a witch. It meant one of them—most likely my mother, I realized—was a witch, too. If magic was what they had been talking about when Carly overheard them, than it meant I wasn't a freak. It meant I wasn't alone. Which made me feel even more like they'd thrown me to the wolves.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," I said, feeling tired and miserable. Why was everything getting so complicated?

Adrian grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. Close enough for me to rest my head on his paint splattered chest. The smell of his cologne and paint mixed with the warmth of his embrace relaxed me. After a minute, he asked, "So you want to talk about the other thing, then?"

"What other thing?" I looked up at him in confusion.

"I saw the way you looked at Nicole," he murmured. "You were jealous."

The tips of my ears burned in humiliation. "I wasn't... That's not..." I couldn't seem to form a complete sentence today and it was really starting to frustrate me!

He leaned in and buried his face in my hair. "I want _you_, Sage," he whispered into my ear. "Not anyone else. I dream about _you_ every night. I fantasize about you—"

"Adrian."

I expected him to pull away, but he didn't. Instead he tilted my head back further, running the tip of his nose down the length of my neck.

I sighed, feeling embarrassed, but with the way his breath was fanning my neck it was hard to care. "I was jealous," I admitted. "But not of Nicole. It was the idea of her I was jealous of."

His nose stopped just behind my ear, and when he spoke his lips barely brushed the edge of my jaw. My heart pounded in my chest like a caged bird. "What does that mean?" he whispered.

I closed my eyes. I had to fight to concentrate, to keep my brain working. Never once in my entire life had I had that problem, but whenever I was this close to Adrian my brain seemed to shut down in favor of more... basic instincts. And I knew that he was counting on that fact. "It means I hate the thought of you with someone else," I breathed.

He pulled back from me. I thought he would kiss me then. I was waiting for it, I was excited for it, but it never came. When I finally opened my eyes Adrian was staring down at me with an unreadable expression.

"But you still can't be with me, right?" he asked. He sounded sad, disappointed maybe, but not mad like I would've thought. He didn't wait for me to answer, instead he turned away. "It really sucks, wanting you, knowing you want me too, but not being able to do anything about it."

My heart broke, not just for him, but for myself as well. "I'm–"

He waved me off before I could finish. "No. At least I know you feel the same. I understand why nothing can happen between us. Right now, anyway."

"Right now?" I asked, confused. Adrian and I would never be allowed to be together. It was impossible, right now or ever.

"The Alchemists are lying to you, Sage," he said, turning to look at me. "They're betraying they're own beliefs, they're own people. The system you believe in? It's bullshit. You're a good person, Sydney, and your beliefs are justified. You want to protect people from evil, that's noble." He walked over and took my hands in his. "But you need to get away from the Alchemists. They're bad news. And I believe that whole heartedly. Regardless of if you decide you want to be with me at some point, you need to get away from them as soon as possible."

He pulled me closer to him, his eyes softening along with his tone. "But if you ever decide you do want me, I'm here. I want you to know that. We'll figure something out. We always do, right?" He smiled a little, but I could see he was nervous. He probably thought I was about to bite his head off for sharing his opinion of the Alchemists.

Instead I whispered, "Thank you."

He looked at me with awe in his eyes, the way he did whenever I surprised him. I loved it when he looked at me like that. His smile became a full on grin. He looked over his shoulder towards the TV, and sighed. "Almost curfew. You should probably get going."

I nodded and started walking to the door. "Good night, Adrian."

He caught my hand one last time and gave it a squeeze while he smiled down at me. "Good night, Sydney." He looked happy, really happy, and that thought put a big, stupid grin on my face as I walked to my car.

I wasn't leaving in anger, or fear, this time. We were in a good place, if a little open ended. I wasn't going to say _no_ anymore. I wouldn't, because what I was feeling wasn't a _no_. It was a _yes_, but a _maybe_ would have to do for the moment. I believed him when he said we'd figure something out. And knowing that my family was already in on some of my lies did sort of make me feel better about things. Maybe I wouldn't have to choose between them and Adrian, after all. Maybe things could be worked out. One way or the other, I decided, Adrian was a part of my future, but were the Alchemists really going to just fade into the past?

I doubted it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines.**

**I hope you guys like this chapter. So many of you have made me smile with your awesome comments. Keep them coming, they totally inspire me :)**

**If you guys find any mistakes, let me know. It was late when I edited this and I probably missed some stuff.**

Sunday went by in a blur of magic. Ms. Terwilliger had reports of another girl going missing, in the suburbs this time. She decided that because my stamina was improving we could start practicing the heavier stuff.

She made me practice resistance spells, compulsion spells—which I hated—even a spell that could knock a room full of grown men off their feet in a matter of seconds. I was surprised when I learned all of the spells and was able to complete them without passing out. Although that last one did knock the wind out of me.

It made me feel more confidant, knowing that I had these weapons at my disposal if I ever needed them. And no one could ever strip them from me. They were mine. A birth right.

By the time I crawled into bed that night it was all I could think about. This power was given to me by my mother. Or, at least, most likely my mother. I'd never met my grandparents, or any of Mom's family, actually. They had died before Carly, Zoe or I were born. I had met my dad's parents though. Grandma Evelyn was too prim to ever practice magic, and Grandpa Mo wouldn't be caught dead doing anything like that. He was always very firm about his beliefs, which, incidentally, were aligned perfectly with that of the Alchemists. And Dad... Well, I knew his views on things.

_Always listen to the Alchemists, never question their judgment. Don't make a fuss, Sydney. We can't take any chances._

I shook my head and leaned back against my pillows. He definitely wasn't a magic user. He'd probably throw a fit if he knew I'd been learning—

"Oh my god!" I whispered into the dark dorm room. I jumped out of bed and stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what else to do with myself. The thought that had just occurred to me was almost too much to handle.

_We can't take any chances._

He'd known. He'd always known.

I began pacing, my head reeling. Why didn't I see this sooner? I should have realized the moment Carly told me about my parent's conversation.

He'd told me the rules over and over again, my whole life. _Don't make a fuss, do what they say. _I'd thought it was just him wanting me to be a better alchemist. He always wanted me to do better, to be better than what I was. But what if this wasn't that? Both of my parents knew someone was after them. Both of them must have known why.

Carly had said they were talking about it not being safe for Zoe the same way it wasn't safe for me. What if they knew that I could use magic? That I was strong enough for someone to come after me too? What if Zoe was? What if Dad had been telling me to do my job well and keep a low profile, not because he wanted a stellar, obedient alchemist as a daughter, but because he was trying to keep his witch daughter off the Alchemist's radar? Maybe even off of another witch's radar?

Hiding from witches would probably be difficult. If my mom and dad needed to hide, the Alchemists wouldn't be the worst place to do it. Alchemists were trained to falsify paperwork, they had access to information and technology a regular human wouldn't. They were kept out of the system, so to speak. Police, government? It meant nothing to us. There was no real way to track an alchemist unless you _were_ an alchemist. If my mom was able to cast a shielding spell, no one would be able to use magic to track her either.

I plopped back down on my bed, my head still spinning from my revelation. If my theory was true—and I was pretty sure it was—then my dad had been warning me all these years, but not in the way I'd imagined. He'd been trying to keep me safe. Although by doing so he was also turning me into a walking contradiction.

What was I supposed to do? I was an alchemist. I'd been an alchemist my whole life, long before they'd actually tattooed my cheek. But I was a witch, too. By blood right I could practice magic. It was a part of me, same as my tattoo. I could hate magic all I wanted, but I'd just be hating a part of myself. And a part of my mom and my sisters, too.

I laid back on the bed and pulled the blankets over me. It was too late, and I was too exhausted to try to figure out who I was or wasn't. Or how to combine two pieces of myself that were so conflicting. I closed my eyes and decided I'd deal with it later.

###

I woke up the next morning to a text from Marcus saying he wanted to meet later that day to discuss "things". I knew I needed to get answers from him, but I wasn't sure if I could take it right now. The thought of learning even more of my life was a lie was painful, but I pushed my own feelings aside and did what I knew was necessary. I texted him back telling him I'd meet him at Adrian's after school. I also texted Adrian to let him know.

I trusted Marcus not to harm me, but I didn't want to be alone with him. Not when we were discussing the atrocities the Alchemists had committed against their own people. And, as flippant as Adrian could be sometimes, he was the one person I trusted. He had somehow become my safety net, and I needed him for this. Besides, he'd just demand to come along anyway so it was easier to include him from the beginning.

_U sure about this?_ Adrian texted back.

_No. But I need to know what the Alchemists are capable of._

After that Adrian had simply texted back an _ok_ and I got ready for classes.

By the time I'd made it to last period I was petrified to talk to Marcus, but excited to finally know the truth, all at the same time. A part of that excitement was because I'd be seeing Adrian, if I was being honest. After what had happened that weekend, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'd basically told him that I wanted to be with him, which scared me a little. But he'd told me it was up to me, that he would be there whenever I was ready. I wasn't ready yet, didn't know if I'd ever be. But, I told myself, it was enough that I was excited to see him. We were friends who enjoyed each other's company, and if we ever became more, we'd work up to that point. We'd figure it out, like Adrian had said.

Ms. Terwilliger let me out of class early, but only if I went on a coffee run to Spencer's. I agreed, partly because I couldn't stand to translate one more spell out of German, and partly because I really wanted some coffee. I'd only had one cup from the coffee maker in my room this morning, and I knew the coffee maker at Adrian's place was even worse. Nothing compared to a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

I headed back to the dorms to change out of my uniform before leaving. I ended up arriving at Spencer's just as school was letting out, so neither Trey nor Brayden would be there yet.

As I walked up to the building I noticed a black blur out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over to see two men standing at the intersection. They were dressed in black leather jackets with matching black pants. Neither was talking, they were just staring toward the coffee shop. I thought, for a second, that they might be waiting for someone, but when I walked into the shop I realized that there weren't any costumers inside. When I turned back to glance out the window I made eye contact with one of the men. He was slightly taller than his friend and his eyes were dark, almost black in color. The look in them sent chills down my spine and not in a good way. I had the awful idea that I had been right, these men were waiting for someone. Me.

I shook off the thought, it was ridiculous. I was just upset by the information Carly had given me the other day and I was imagining things. I walked to the counter and ordered two coffees from the girl who was working there. I wish Trey had been here, he knew my order perfectly. And even Brayden made a great cup of coffee. I had to correct this barista three times before she finally got the order right.

My thoughts began to drift while I waited for my coffee. I hadn't really seen Trey around much except for in school. He kept to himself more now than he used to. I wasn't exactly happy that he'd made it a goal to get accepted back into the ranks of the Warriors, but could understand where he was coming from. I used to feel as devoted to the Alchemists as he did to the Warriors, even if I didn't always agree with them.

Now it seemed I couldn't repair the rift that had formed between myself and my organization. I still pretended to be their perfect alchemist, I sent them my weekly reports and checked in regularly, but I couldn't deny that in my heart I wasn't one of them anymore.

I grabbed my order and turned to leave. Lost in my thoughts, I almost walked into someone entering the coffee shop. Hands shot out to steady me so I didn't spill the coffee I was holding. I almost screamed, suddenly scared of the men outside again, until the owner of the hands spoke.

"Sydney, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

I looked up to see Brayden, his arms still outstretched to keep me on my feet. I pulled away from him and he dropped his hands.

This wasn't the first time I'd seen him since he broke up with me, but it didn't seem to be getting any less awkward to talk to him. "I'm on a coffee run for one of my teachers," I told him, smiling politely.

He looked shocked. "Your teacher let you out of class early to get coffee?" He shook his head like the idea vexed him. "I like coffee just as much as the next guy, but that seems like a waste of valuable class time."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, even though his reaction didn't surprise me. I might even have agreed with him if it hadn't been Ms. Terwilliger's class I'd skipped. Or, you know, if I hadn't already graduated from high school and wasn't just going back as part of an assignment. Suddenly, it all just seemed so ridiculous to me. Brayden was in high school for real, he should be living it up, hanging out with his friends, dating... I wasn't really sure who he should date, but someone. Someone he liked, someone who was good for him. Instead he took everything too seriously, the way I would. It was a shame that he was wasting his time worrying about something as unimportant as missing twenty minutes of class. He was wasting his freedom, and I suddenly felt so envious I wanted to scream. If I had freedom like that I wouldn't waste it. I'd _live_.

"Sydney," he said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Oh, yeah," I said. "I'm great. Just have to bring this coffee back to school."

I smiled at him and started to move toward the door again, thinking we were finished, when his hand shot out and encircled my wrist. I turned back to him, wondering what else he could possibly have to say to me. The bell over the door jingled signaling a new customer, and I wished that Brayden would at least make this quick. We were standing in everyone's way here by the door.

"Sydney," he said softly. "I know things ended badly between us, but I'd like us to still be friends. I understand if I did too much damage for that to ever happen, but I want you to know it's an option."

I stared at him wondering what I could possibly say to that. He didn't mean it condescendingly, I knew, and I really had no feelings one way of the other about our break up, but his choice of wording was sort of annoying. Who did he think he was?

Someone behind me scoffed and I was too caught up in my own agitation to recognize the familiar sound.

"I'm sure Sydney's grateful for the _option_, and the opportunity, but I think she'll pass, Brody."

I spun around at the sound of Adrian's voice, my heart beating fast, and not just because I was mad at Brayden. He was standing behind me, his arms crossed over his chest. His messy hair hanging over his forehead in a way that made me want to reach up and brush it back into place.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him in surprise.

His gaze fell away from Brayden and softened as it met mine. "I was going to buy you coffee," he explained. "I figured you'd need it for talking to Marcus, and I know this place is your favorite." He grinned at me. "You're always in a better mood when you've had your caffeine fix."

"Who's Marcus?" Brayden asked.

Adrian smirked at him like a smug child. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Adrian," I chastised. He shrugged but kept staring at Brayden until he looked away.

"Brayden, it was really nice to see you again," I said quickly. "But I've got a meeting I need to get to, and I've got to bring this coffee back to school first, so—"

"For Jackie?" Adrian asked, perking up.

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason," he said lightly. Too lightly. He was up to something. "Can I ride back with you? We can pick up my car on the way back."

I wasn't sure I wanted to give in to his request, because, even if I didn't know him as well as I did, that glint in his green eyes was more than enough evidence that he was planning something. And Adrian's plans, the non-life saving ones at least, never ended well for me.

I agreed and said a quick goodbye to Brayden while pushing Adrian out the door. Brayden looked confused and I knew he was dying of curiosity, wondering where we were going and who Marcus was. It would have bothered me too, but I couldn't tell him the truth, so I gave him a small wave and got into my car. As I drove passed the intersection I couldn't help but notice that the two men in black were gone now.

"Why did you have to provoke him?" I asked Adrian once we were on our way back to Amberwood.

He snorted. "Like he didn't deserve it. I saw your face, you thought he was out of line, too. That asshole has got his head shoved so far up his own ass, I doubt he even knows what century it is."

"He did come off a little condescending, but his intentions were good," I defended. I wasn't over my annoyance at the way Brayden had suggested we still be friends, but I knew him well enough to know he hadn't meant it in an insulting way. He was just bad with social situations, much in the same way I was.

"Sage," Adrian said, turning to look at me from the passenger seat. "He dumped you. He's a complete jackass and I won't be friendly with someone who would hurt you like that."

It was my turn to snort. I looked over at him while I waited at a red light. "He didn't hurt me. I was completely fine when he dumped me. I told you, I didn't really care."

Adrian smirked as I started driving back to Amberwood. "Because he wasn't the sun, the moon and the air to you?" he asked dramatically with his hand over his heart. "He didn't complete you the way someone else does?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stop fishing for compliments."

He took my free hand and held it in his lap, causing a jolt of electricity to ripple through my body. He seemed perfectly unaware of the effect his skin had on mine. "Alright," he smiled. "I'll put away the pole. Just knowing the fish are in the pond in the first place is good enough for me right now."

I laughed at him, taking my hand back so I could drive. I could still feel a warm buzzing sensation in the places his hand touched mine when we pulled into Amberwood's student parking lot.

Adrian and I strolled up toward the library where Ms. Terwilliger was waiting.

"Sydney!" Angeline called, rushing out of the library towards us.

She seemed upset about something, but it didn't look major, so I figured everyone was safe.

"What is it?" I asked as I approached her.

"I was looking for you," she said, gesturing toward the library. She spared a glance toward Adrian. "Hey."

Adrian nodded back then turned to me, taking Ms. Terwilliger's coffee from my hand. "I'll take the coffee Ms. T., you have girl talk with Angeline."

He seemed entirely too pleased with the turn of events, but I couldn't figure out why he'd ever want to talk to Ms. Terwilliger. Unless, of course, he was checking up on me. The idea made me a little angry, but I didn't have time to fight about it right now. I needed to go talk to Marcus. I sighed and told him where to find Ms. Terwilliger's office then turned back to Angeline, who was waiting patiently.

Once Adrian was gone she dragged me away from the library doors and over to the shade of a tree. "I was studying with Trey yesterday," she said, jumping right in. "He offered to help me with my history essay because I was struggling with it, and, well. I think I might like him."

My mouth opened in surprise. "But you're dating Eddie," I said.

She looked pained by my words. "I know! That's what's awful," she said. "I really like Eddie, but Trey and I get along really well, too. We were talking while he was helping me and we started discussing the Warriors. He told me he thought it was really awesome how I could fight. He said he was impressed with how I handled myself at the assembly when I knocked that guy out."

She smiled at the memory of the praise, but it faded as quickly as it had come. "But Eddie is so great, too. I don't want to break up with him, but everything with him is just so awkward because of Jill."

I was shocked. I didn't think Jill had been letting on how she felt about Eddie, especially not to in front of Angeline.

"Every time we go out, we can't really enjoy ourselves because we're both constantly worried about Jill," she explained. "I like Eddie, but I think our relationship might be getting in the way of protecting Jill and I know neither of us want that. Besides, we can't really give it a chance while Jill's on our minds."

So it wasn't Jill's attitude that was the problem. Angeline didn't want to endanger Jill by continuing a relationship with Eddie.

"And I mean," she went on,"it's not like I'd be dumping Eddie to date Trey. I don't even know if Trey would _want_ to date me. His people sort of hate vampires and all. But I think it would be best if Eddie and I broke up. And knowing Trey might be an option sort of makes me feel better about everything."

"That's really mature of you, Angeline. I'm proud of you," I told her. "You're turning into a really great guardian. And I think you know what's best for you. You'll make the right decision. But don't get your hopes too high about Trey. He might like you, but his family and the things he was taught to believe his whole life might be stronger than he thinks."

I felt a sudden parallel to my own life. Trey had told me he liked Angeline, but couldn't be with her because of his people's beliefs. That sounded very familiar.

"Thanks, Sydney." Angeline smiled. "I won't push things with him, but I think I will talk to Eddie. I think he'll understand. Besides," she said with a mischievous grin. "I think Jill might like him."

"What?" I blurted. So she did notice Jill's feelings.

"I've seen Jill looking at Eddie a few times, and I think she might have feelings for him. She never said anything, but I could just tell." She smirked. "Maybe her and Eddie will get together. That would make his life a million times easier. She's all he ever thinks about anyway, so it might work."

I smiled. If she only knew. "That might be a good idea, Angeline. I wouldn't tell Eddie about it, though."

We said goodbye and she started to walk away, when I called her back. "Maybe tell Jill," I told her. "If she does have feelings for Eddie you might want to talk to her about it. Just so she knows it's okay with you."

She agreed. "You know," she said. "You're really getting a lot better with this stuff."

"What stuff?" I asked.

"Personal stuff," she said. "Dating advice, things like that. You're not as cold as you used to be." Then she turned and left.

She used to think I was cold? I didn't mean to be cold. But I guess I wasn't very relatable when I'd first come here. Was I really getting better with personal stuff? I hoped so. I hated the thought that my friends might not like talking to me about things because I wasn't relatable.

Adrian came back a few seconds later and we left to go to his apartment. I dropped him off at Spencer's so he could pick up his car and we drove over to his place.

Marcus was waiting by Adrian's door. "You said 3:30pm," he said as Adrian let us into the apartment.

I took a seat on the couch and took a sip of my coffee. It wasn't hot anymore, but it was still warm enough to enjoy. "Sorry," I said. "We got caught up."

"It'a fine," Marcus replied, sitting down in a chair across from me. "Let's get started though, I need to be back in LA tonight."

"What do you do out there anyway?" Adrian asked, plopping down next to me on the couch. He immediately jumped back up and moved further down. "Ah! You were right, Sage. There is a spring sticking out of this thing."

I laughed so hard I snorted. "You didn't believe me? Why would I make that up?" I asked.

"Guys," Marcus said. "Back on point here." He looked at Adrian. "I'm not going to disclose all of my secrets, just the ones relevant to you two."

Adrian looked disappointed to be left without an answer to his question, but I could see Marcus's point. "It's fine," I said. "You already told us about... the re-education centers. Now tell me why the Alchemists are so keen to send you to one. So much time has passed, you'd think they'd decide it wasn't a priority anymore."

"I'm a huge priority to them, Sydney." He looked at me for a long moment, studying me, before asking the last thing I ever thought he'd ask. "What do you know about magic?"

I was shocked, but kept my face neutral. "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes, but looked amused. "I _mean_," he said, dragging the words out,"can you use it?"

Adrian sat up straight. "You made yourself that handy dandy little charm on your face," he said, pointing at Marcus's tattoo. "So I'm assuming you can."

Marcus nodded. "Yes, I can. That's why the Alchemists are after me. Or, that's one of the reasons." He laughed. "They really weren't too happy when I ran away. I think that makes them angrier than me being able to perform magic."

He looked over at me again. "I can feel it on it you, you know," he said. "The magic. You're strong. You must know how to use it."

I nodded slowly. "I met someone out here, a witch. She's been... teaching me." It felt odd to tell someone about my magic. Someone who wasn't Adrian, at least.

"That's how I learned, too," he said. "I met a Moroi girl while working an assignment for the Alchemists. She was a spirit user. She was friendly with a coven. The witches used to help her maintain the spirit in exchange for power boosts for some of their spells."

"What?" Adrian and I asked at the same time.

"That's possible?" I asked. "To maintain spirit with magic?"

My mind was spinning. What if I could help Adrian control the spirit darkness? What if he didn't have to worry about going insane?

"It is possible," he said, "but I'm not actually sure how it works. I wasn't strong enough at that point to learn. It took me a long time to build up that kind of strength and by the time I did, Cheryl, the Moroi girl, was long gone. I've tried to stay away from vampires since I broke with the Alchemists. It's easier for them to track you if you run in the same circles as Moroi."

I bit my lip, making a mental note to ask Ms. Terwilliger about helping Adrian keep his spirit in check.

"What about the power boosting thing?" Adrian asked. "Can you do that?"

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, though I've never done it with a Moroi. I have helped another witch cast a spell before. It's a fairly similar process, I think." He turned to address me. "When you use magic you reach out into the world around you and feel it, correct?"

I nodded.

"Okay, it's basically the same thing when you want to join with another witch. You cast the spell together, and when you reach out you'll feel their magic as well as your own. Merge the two and bam! Stronger spell. It doesn't work for all spells, but you may find it helpful on occasion."

"That was actually remarkably _un_helpful," I muttered.

"Hey, I don't have time to do a demonstration. Whoever is teaching you will probably be much more helpful, so ask them."

"So that's it?" I asked. "The Alchemists know you can do magic so they want to lock you away?"

He shook his head. "I don't know exactly what they want to do, but I'm certain it's more than just locking me away. They think I'm some sort of hybrid freak or something. My own father told me I was the spawn of Satan. My mother must have been the witch in the family. I don't know for sure, she died in childbirth." He cleared his throat a little. "What I do know is that the Alchemists have been sending people after me since I left. Human, Moroi, they even leaked my location to Strigoi one time. They want me dead. Or worse, they want me locked in a cell for them to experiment on for the rest of my life. They think I'm a perversion to all of their beliefs."

I swallowed. That wasn't great news for me, but it wasn't exactly shocking. I knew how the Alchemists felt about magic and science. Of course they'd want to run experiments on a human who could perform magic. They'd want to know how such a thing was possible in order to stop it from happening again. I steeled myself and asked my nest question.

"The tattoo?" I asked. "How'd you come up with it?"

"It wasn't too difficult," Marcus told me. "I took a few old shielding and protection spells and sort of modified them. The magic in the lily helps, too," he said, pointing to his cheek. "I can give you the instructions if you need them."

"Yes," I said, quietly. "Thank you. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet, but I'd like to know how. Just in case."

Marcus nodded, solemnly, and leaned forward to look me in the eye. "Sydney, if you ever need anything, if you need help with anything, you call me. Okay?"

I gave him a small smile and told him I would.

He wrote out the ingredients and directions for the spell in a sketchbook Adrian had sitting on the coffee table. "It needs to be touched up once a year, same as the lily tattoo," he said, handing me the sketchbook.

"Okay." I looked it over. It seemed to require a lot of ingredients, but the instructions also called for a lot of concentration. "I don't know if I'm strong enough for this," I admitted.

He laughed. "Trust me, you're strong enough." He got up and walked toward the front door. "I've really got to go, but ask your mentor to teach you how to feel for another person's magic. Then you'll be able tell how strong you actually are." He smiled. "And you'll be able to feel for Adrian's magic as well."

We said goodbye and he left.

"Feel for my magic," Adrian said. He shifted around on the couch to look at me and winked. "Sounds dirty."

I would've laughed, but I was too distracted. What if the Alchemists found out about me using magic? They'd throw me into a room like that guy who thought he was Strigoi and experiment on me for the rest of my life. I could stop using magic altogether. It wouldn't be that big a loss, except that then I'd have no way to protect myself or my friends. And I couldn't stop practicing while Genevieve was out there. Then there was my family. What if someone really was out to get them? What if they needed my help? No, I couldn't stop learning magic.

I looked up at Adrian. What if I could help him? What if he didn't ever have to be afraid of going crazy ever again? He could be normal. He could be happy.

"Sage," Adrian said softly, leaning forward to touch my cheek. His voice was low and serious. "Are you afraid? Because I would never let anything happen to you. The Alchemists will never lay a hand—"

I shook my head slightly, but his hand stayed on my cheek. "That's not what I was thinking," I told him. "I mean, I was, but then I was thinking about you." I blushed. "I mean, I was thinking about how I could help you."

"No, Sydney," he said, his green eyes hard. "Don't worry about that. I told you, I don't want you thinking you have to help me. I'm fine."

"I don't think I _have_ to help you," I argued. "But if I can I will. I'm going to ask Ms. Terwilliger." Adrian looked like he was going to protest some more so I made a point I knew he wouldn't argue with. "Besides, he said that Moroi can help boost a witch's spells, right? I should learn, in case I'm ever not strong enough and I need you to help me."

He knew that he couldn't argue with that. I could tell he was excited about the possibility of helping me with anything, and it caused a warm, affectionate feeling to spread through my chest. But he didn't look happy that I'd used that reason against him. "Fine," he sighed.

I smiled and he quit scowling at me to smile back. His hand was still on my cheek, his body still leaning toward mine. His smile was so beautiful it took my breath away. I suddenly wanted to kiss him more than I ever had before.

I pulled away and stood. "I should go."

Adrian followed me to the door, but stopped me from opening it. He pulled me into a tight embrace and my arms seemed to naturally find there way around his neck. I felt safe and comfortable in his arms, even though I had to stand on my toes to hug him. He pulled away, but didn't let go. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you, Sydney. You're strong. Even if the Alchemists tried anything you could stop them yourself. You're not a victim and you never will be."

Then he pulled away completely before I had time to say anything and opened the door for me to leave, but even once I was back at Amberwood the feeling I'd had when he whispered those words to me lingered. I couldn't quite place it, but I knew it was much more than just friendship I was starting to feel for Adrian.


	14. Chapter 14

**Richelle Mead owns the VA series and Bloodlines series.**

**Okay, this is a long freaking chapter you guys. And it took me forever to figure out, because there's a ton of cute Sydrian moments, but it also moves my main story line forward a lot. So I hope you enjoy it and please review :)**

**P.S. To the reviewers who are asking for Sydney and Adrian to kiss and maybe even, as my favorite review said "more than kiss", don't worry. All of that stuff is coming up in the future. In fact, I already have those scenes partly written, so we'll get there. But for now, enjoy the story!**

I was rushing to get to the library for my independent study with Ms. Terwilliger when I ran into Trey.

I hadn't had any time to get over to Ms. Terwilliger's house to practice over the course of the week, because classes at Amberwood were winding down with the coming winter break, so everyone was studying for the semester finals. The teachers were giving lots of homework, even Ms. Terwilliger. I spent most of my free time after school helping the others complete their assignments. Since Jill and Angeline were only fifteen and actually _still in_ high school, Eddie and I made it our duty to help them do their best on their exams.

Eddie mostly helped Jill during our family study sessions. Angeline had talked to him about breaking up and he'd agreed it would probably be for the best. I could tell that, even if it had been a mutual decision, he still felt a little hurt from their breakup. And awkward. Angeline was trying her hardest to act like nothing had changed, like they had always only been friends and co-workers. But Eddie, as professional as he acted, was very easy to read.

I hoped he'd come around sooner rather than later, because I didn't want them growing apart the way Adrian and I had after we'd kissed. Or the way Brayden and I had after we'd broken up. I knew that Eddie wouldn't let something like a breakup interfere with protecting Jill, but I would hate to see him avoiding Angeline forever and hoped they would work everything out.

Unlike Eddie, Jill had had an entirely different outlook on the breakup. The day after Angeline broke up with Eddie, Jill had come to breakfast more chipper than I'd seen her since she started dating Micah. I had thought that maybe they'd gotten back together, but as it turned out she'd just had a talk with Angeline about her feelings for Eddie. It seemed having a crush on her friend's boyfriend had been a greater strain on Jill than I'd realized. Since then she'd been happier, more carefree, the way she used to be back before Lee had turned all serial killer on us. And her mood did wonders to lift Eddie's spirits. I was wondering when they'd finally just break down and tell each other how they felt.

"So your cousin's single again, huh?" Trey asked when I walked into the library to meet Ms. Terwilliger for last period. He split off from a group of girls he had been standing with and fell into step beside me.

"Yeah, I guess so," I told him. He knew the truth about my "family", and that Angeline had been secretly dating Eddie for a few weeks.

He sighed. "Man, it sucks so hard that I can't ask her out. We were studying together the other day and it was all I kept thinking about."

I nodded. "Yeah. She told me you were helping her."

"She did?" he asked. I could practically see his ears perking up like an excited puppy. "Did she say anything about me?"

I looked at him blankly. "Yeah, that you were helping her study."

He deflated. "You know, Melbourne, you really need to take a course in people skills. Do they teach you to take everything literally in the Alchemists?"

"I was joking," I told him, rolling my eyes. "She said a lot about you, actually."

He smiled like a kid about to be handed his birthday presents. "Like?"

"Like she likes you. She may have even said something like she'd like to go out with you too, but she knows how the Warriors feel about that sort of thing so she's not getting her hopes up."

"That's just my luck," he sighed, leaning against a wall outside Ms. Terwilliger's office. "A totally smart, hot, tough chick wants to go out with me and I can't because she's a damphir."

"Shh!" I scolded him. "Everyone in the whole library can hear you."

"Don't worry, no one's listening," he said. "What did you tell her about me?"

"Who? Angeline? I told her the truth," I said. "She's my friend the same as you. I told her you might not be up for dating her so she shouldn't get her hopes up. I think she'd already come to the same conclusion though."

He looked disappointed that I hadn't talked him up in front of Angeline, but nodded. "At least she knows the truth, I guess. Maybe I could keep helping her study. The Warriors are long gone by now and I _am_ exiled." He shrugged. "What damage could spending time with one little damphir do?"

I shook my head but couldn't help but sympathize. I knew I shouldn't spend time with Adrian but some part of myself, some part I'd never known before, just couldn't let him go. It wanted to find excuses to spend time with him, much the same way Trey was doing with Angeline. Much in the same way Adrian had admitted to doing with me.

The thought of Adrian's confession sent my heart racing and my thoughts jumped to the kiss we'd shared. Sometimes when I saw him it was all I could think about. Whenever he held my hand in his I felt the same electric shocks that had danced across my skin that day. Just the thought of him touching me, even as innocently as he had been doing recently, made me glad I'd decided to see where things lead. If I had to keep denying myself the pleasure of his touch I'd probably explode.

"Hurry up, Miss Melbourne," Ms. Terwilliger called from inside her office. "These books aren't translating themselves."

"I've got to go," I told Trey. "But please, just don't lead Angeline on if you aren't interested in a relationship. She deserves better than that. Besides," I smirked. "I have no doubt Angeline could kick your butt if she wanted to."

He sighed dreamily. "I know. That's why I like her."

I laughed and left him in the hallway to go translate Ms. Terwilliger's books.

"Miss Melbourne," Ms. Terwilliger said at the end of the period. "I hope you can make it to practice on Saturday."

"Of course," I agreed. I hadn't practiced magic in a while and found myself, oddly enough, looking forward to it.

###

When I pulled up in front of Ms. Terwilliger's house on Saturday morning I was astonished to see a springtime yellow 1967 Ford Mustang convertible parked outside.

First of all, there was no reason I could think of for Adrian to be at Ms. Terwilliger's house _ever_ without me. And secondly, it was eight o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. Adrian wasn't even normally out of bed yet.

"Good morning, Sydney," Ms. Terwilliger greeted when she opened the door. "I was just having a lovely conversation with young Adrian here."

She led me into the house, gesturing toward Adrian, who was sitting at her kitchen table eating a jelly donut. He looked as handsome and put together as ever, but I didn't let that stop me from feeling irritated with him for showing up here without telling me.

"Hey, Sage." He smiled and wiped powdered sugar off of his fingers. "Want a donut?" he asked, picking up a plain white paper bag and holding it out towards me.

I didn't make any move to take the bag or its contents. Instead I frowned at him, wondering why he was here. I knew he must have a reason other than to fill me with fatty, sugary breakfast pastries.

He dropped the bag of donuts with a shrug and lifted a brown paper bag next to it instead. "Or bagels, for those of us who hate sugar."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Can I talk to you alone, please?" I asked.

He sighed like he'd been expecting my reaction and stood. Ms. Terwilliger directed us to the room at the end of the hall where she kept all of her ingredients. Adrian followed after me silently. Once we were alone I turned on him.

"What are you doing here? Is this why you wanted to bring her her coffee last week? So you could go behind my back?" I demanded.

"No!" he said, then reconsidered. "Well, yes. Sort of. I just want to help you. I was going to talk to both of you about it last week, but then you were talking to Angeline so I went ahead and asked Jackie what she thought of the idea without you."

"What idea?" I asked.

"I'll be your Guinea pig," he said, sounding much too excited. "I thought it might help if you had someone to try out your spells on and Ms. T. agreed. Besides she said she'll teach us that Moroi battery booster trick Marcus was talking about."

"So you two just went ahead and discussed all of that without me?" I asked, irritated. "You didn't even bother to tell me about it after."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I swear I was going to tell you, but then I got scared you'd say no. You have a habit of trying to take on everything by yourself and I just wanted to help. And it wasn't like the old bat and I were in cahoots or anything. I asked her if you needed a crash test dummy for your magic and she said that it would be helpful." He smirked. "Guess she was sick of taking your hits herself."

I wasn't amused and he knew it. He dropped the smile and went on.

"Then, this morning she called and told me to be here by 8:00am. Which was awesome, by the way," he muttered sarcastically. "I was up most of last night finishing the final piece for my watercolors class, so she sort of woke me up out of a dead sleep."

I watched him expressionlessly for a few moments before he realized I had no sympathy for him.

"When I showed up this morning I asked if she knew how to do the trick Marcus mentioned. She said she did and she'd teach us. That was it. She was telling me about how it's done when you walked in," he finished, gesturing back towards the front of the house.

I was still a little irritated that they'd felt I didn't need to be in the loop on this, but it wasn't like they'd plotted or planned without me. It was all pretty innocent, and I had no doubt Adrian was telling me the truth. Besides, he would have shown up at these practices eventually. I was almost surprised it had taken this long.

Adrian saw my wavering irritation as a chance to strike and pulled out two of his best weapons against me. His puppy eyes and his pout. For some reason I had trouble saying no to either one separately, but combined I didn't stand a chance.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked, pouting his lips. They were full and plump and so kissable. How had I never noticed them pre-kiss? His emerald eyes widened and turned down at the corners slightly, making him look sad and regretful. And then he put the nail in my anger coffin. "Please, Sydney? Forgive me?"

I huffed out a breath. How did he always manage to do that? The sound of my own name should not make me weak in the knees. "Fine," I said. "You're forgiven, this time. I know you didn't mean anything by it, but please, just tell me next time. You know I don't like it when people go behind my back."

The regret in his voice was sincere when he said, "I know. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking of it like that. I promise that it will never happen again."

"Okay." I gave him a small smile so he'd know I wasn't too mad about it. I didn't want to ruin his day. I mean, he was losing out on sleep just to be my magical dart board for the day.

He smiled back and took a step closer to me, reaching out to lightly touch my waist. His fingers were cautious as they drifted over my hips, like he was waiting for me to pull away. "It's good to see you, by the way," he said. "I missed you."

We hadn't had much of a chance to see each other this week because of school. The college he went to was already letting out for winter break so his finals were this week. One had been during Jill's scheduled feeding, which was one of the only times I'd had to hang out with him during this week. He'd called to let me know how he did, but it wasn't the same as seeing him in person.

"I missed you, too," I admitted.

His smile widened and I felt his hands slowly creeping around to my lower back, causing shivers to run up my spine. He pulled me closer until only a small sliver of air separated us. "You know what I've been thinking a lot about lately?" he asked softly, leaning down to get even closer to me.

I stared up at him, the green of his eyes the only thing I found I could focus on with him that close. "What?" I breathed.

"This."

He leaned down to close the small distance between us and I started to tilt my head up to meet him, oblivious to all of the reasons we should be avoiding this type of behavior.

The door slammed open and we jumped apart. Hopefully, I prayed, before Ms. Terwilliger could tell that we had almost kissed. From her knowing expression I could guess that I'd had no such luck. She carried a stack of thick spell books into the room and dropped them onto the workbench with a loud thud.

"There are a few spells in these books that will be easy for you two. You can do much more than these with practice. Things that could potentially rival that of an experienced witch, but I don't want to push you too far. Moroi magic isn't quite the same. It's stronger, more pure because they're generating it themselves, rather than pulling it from the world around them the way we do."

She flipped open the book on the top of the pile and found the page she was looking for. "Here, this is a good one to start with. Very simple."

###

Three hours later and I was exhausted. Adrian and I had tried Ms. Terwilliger's "simple" spell until I'd almost passed out. She'd tried to give me tips on how to feel his magic, but I couldn't seem to make it work.

"Let's take a break," she finally suggested. "You're tired and I've got essays to grade." She stood up and told us she'd be in her office. "Come get me when you're ready for a second round. Also, there's plenty of food in the fridge. Take whatever you want."

Then she left and Adrian and I were alone. I felt better being alone with him without Ms. Terwilliger watching us interact with that look in her eye. It was unnerving because it wasn't just a _there's-more-to-your-relationship-than-meets-the-eye_ kind of look, it was an_ I-know-something-you-don't-know-yet_ kind of look.

She probably had some sort of crystal ball or something around here that could tell the future. I wouldn't put it passed her.

"Come here." Adrian grabbed my hand and led me into the living room. He had to shoo at least four different cats from the couch before I could sit down.

He sat, too, and then put a throw pillow on his lap. "Lay down," he instructed. "I'm sure you have a headache. I'll rub your temples, it'll make you feel better."

I thought about it for a second. We'd almost kissed before, which I had never intended to do, at least not today. Lying in his lap might lead to more slip ups, but the thought of a massage right now was too great to pass up. My head really was throbbing.

I laid back and put my head on the pillow. It was a strange position because I was looking straight up at him. Somehow this position made me feel more vulnerable than when we'd almost kissed before. He told me to close my eyes and then began rubbing soft circles into my temples and forehead. The warmth and pressure of his fingertips was enough to make me want to fall asleep right then and there.

After I'd relaxed a bit he trailed his fingers down to my cheek. "Keep your eyes closed, okay?" he said.

I nodded, trusting him with whatever he had planned. That rebellious part of me that took over every once in awhile hoped he was going to try to kiss me again.

He stroked my cheek softly while his other hand smoothed back my hair. "Now try to reach out and feel my magic," he said.

I wanted to object, but decided against it. Even if I couldn't find his magic, I could still enjoy the peace and serenity that his touch provided. I tried to do what Ms. Terwilliger had described. I reached out with my mind, feeling for magic that felt distinctively like Adrian. I couldn't find it.

I kept my eyes closed and tried again. I could feel magic all around me, but it wasn't the magic I wanted. My thoughts were aimed toward Adrian, searching for spirit. After about five minutes Adrian cupped my face with his hands, but I still didn't open my eyes, I didn't speak. I just breathed in and out as evenly as possible with him touching me like that.

"You can do this, Sydney," he whispered. "You are stronger and more talented than anyone else I've ever met. This is a piece of cake."

My heart skipped around in my chest at his words. He ran his thumb along my jawline and up to trace the shape of my lips. The sensation was intimate and jarring, jarring enough to knock me right out of my stiff concentration. And the second I stopped trying to focus on Adrian, I saw it.

Or felt it, rather. Spirit hovered all around me. It felt different then my magic did, beautiful in a way. I could practically taste its differentness on my tongue. It did feel like Adrian.

I opened my eyes and clutched Adrian's hand to my cheek. He was leaning over and watching me with a look of astonishment.

_He felt it, too_, I realized.

"I did it," I whispered.

"I could feel you," he said, just as softly. "I've never felt anything like that. Like moth's wings brushing against my soul."

I sat up, smiling. "I can't believe I did it!"

I threw my arms around his neck, feeling proud and relieved. I'd been so scared I wasn't strong enough or talented enough to help him, but now I knew I could. As long as I could reach his spirit magic I knew I could learn to help him. I _would_ learn.

Adrian's arms circled my waist and he pulled his head back to look at me. He was smiling, but the expression in his eyes was unusually serious. "Sydney, I–"

"Did you figure it out?" Ms. Terwilliger cut him off. She came into the living room just as I jumped away from Adrian. I stood up to face her, slightly embarrassed to be caught embracing Adrian for the second time today, but I was still grinning like an idiot. I couldn't help myself.

"Yes. It was easy, I think I was just concentrating too hard, or something. It feels so different from regular magic. I didn't know what I was looking for."

She nodded. "It's a little tricky to get that first time. Now that you know what you're looking for, you think you can do it again?" she asked.

"Definitely," I told her.

"Okay," she said. "Let's try again."

I looked back at Adrian before following Ms. Terwilliger, thinking he'd finish what he'd been about to say before we'd been interrupted, but he just smiled softly at me, whatever he'd been about to tell me lost with the moment.

###

By the time we had called it quits for the day I had learned how to call Adrian's spirit magic to me just like I would regular magic. It was trickier to control because it was a much more concentrated form, Ms. Terwilliger said.

"But even though Moroi magic is the stronger form, they can't use it for as much as a witch can. It's like a universal checks and balances system," she'd explained.

She warned me not to call too much of his magic because it was a lot more powerful than I was used to. Especially the spirit darkness. Ms. Terwilliger had let me try to take a little from Adrian but only after we'd finished everything else. I could tell he wasn't happy about it, but he let me try anyway.

He was in such a good mood during our practice that I hadn't really expected to find much, but when I'd pulled at the dark cluster of magic that swirled around Adrian I'd felt the power behind it. It was strong, stronger than anything I'd ever felt before. So strong I didn't know how he could even function with that kind of dark magic churning in his head.

I asked Ms. Terwilliger why the darkness was so much more powerful than regular spirit and she made sure to warn me never to try to use spirit darkness for a spell. "It's too corrupt to be used for anything," she said. "Others have tried and it never leads to anything good. It's like a cancer, the cells aren't healthy, they've mutated. They're no longer viable for anything. That's what spirit darkness is. Cancerous, mutated magic. It's powerful and it's tempting, but ultimately bad for everyone."

After I promised I understood she said that we'd done enough for today and would pick it up again tomorrow.

When Adrian and I walked out to the cars I was still giddy from my success with spirit, but when I looked up at him my giddiness quickly faded into worry. His expression was dark and guarded and he was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"What?" I asked, stopping by the back of Latte. "What's wrong?"

He played with his keys for a moment before looking up at me. "It's nothing, really," he said. "But I still don't like the idea of you helping me with spirit. You heard what Jackie said. It's dangerous, it can overwhelm even experienced witches."

"She said that it could be overwhelming if I try to take too much spirit darkness at once," I explained, even though I wasn't sure why I needed to. He'd been sitting right next to me when _she'd_ explained this. "I'm only taking a little bit and I'm not using it for any spells or anything."

He sighed and leaned against the back of the car next to me. "Look, I didn't want to say anything in front of Jackie and you were so excited I didn't want to ruin that, but I'm really uncomfortable with this." He turned to look at me and I could see how earnest he was being. I made him uncomfortable. Not only was that completely backwards, but it also stung a little. Did he not trust me?

"It's not that I don't trust in your ability to do it," he said, reading my mind. "Because I do. I know you can do anything you set your mind to. You're amazing. But this is a problem I can handle myself. One I need to handle myself."

"I agree," I said. "You should try to handle your problems yourself, as best you can. But this is different. This isn't a normal problem. This isn't you being lazy, it's serious. You don't have many options." I started ticking them off on my fingers. "There's drinking, which isn't going to work as long as you're bonded with Jill. There's anti-depressants, which will cut off your magic and you don't like the way they make you feel. Or there's me."

He sighed. "You said it yourself, Sage, we shouldn't use others to do what we can do ourselves."

He was throwing my own words back in my face again. I hated when he did that.

"But this is different," I argued. "This is us."

He looked intrigued for a second before the stubborn look came back to his eyes. "What does that mean?"

I thought about it for a moment. "It means we help each other. It's what we do. This is a part of that," I said, finally.

"So," he said slowly. I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind. "You're saying that if one of us needs help, the other one helps? No complaining from either side?"

"What are you getting at?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.

He looked at me seriously. "If I let you do this, next time you need help, magical or otherwise, I don't want to hear crap from you," he said.

I started to shake my head once I understood his meaning. "But this is important. It's your life, your mind. It's not something stupid like me twisting my ankle and you wanting to heal me."

"I don't care," Adrian said cooly. "You said that this was what we do. We help each other. So, from now on, if you have a problem and I can help, I am within my rights to do so. That's the deal?"

I huffed. "You just want me to agree to let you heal me next time something happens," I complained.

"Yes," he admitted. "I'm hoping nothing does happen, because I don't like seeing you hurt, but our lives are dangerous and I want to hear you agree to let me heal you. I hate the idea of having to do it against your will, but you know I would if I had to. I'd rather just get the go ahead right now and this seems like a fair enough deal. You want to help me, I want to help you."

"Fine," I muttered. "But only if it's necessary."

"Same goes for you," he said. "You can take a little spirit darkness here and there, but only as a last resort. Deal?"

My phone began to ring and I said, "Deal," as I pulled it from my pocket to check the caller ID. "It's Jill," I told him, answering the phone.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out tonight," she said on the end of the phone. "I know we're going over to Clarence's today, but Angeline and I thought maybe we could go bowling or something afterward. If you're up for it?"

"Bowling?" I asked.

"Or something," she said quickly. "Just something fun that we could do as a group. Maybe a movie?" she suggested.

"I'd be up for bowling," Adrian said. He was standing close enough to me that he would have been able to hear my phone call even without super Moroi hearing. "Or a movie, whichever."

I nodded to him, but spoke to Jill. "Okay, we can do something. Adrian says whatever you want."

"Cool," she said. "Thanks, Sydney. Angeline and I thought it might be nice for Eddie, you know? To do something fun. And maybe I could talk to him a little and, I don't know, maybe he might feel better."

I laughed. "That's really sweet of you, Jill. And Angeline. I'm glad you guys are getting along." Even though it seemed a little unusual for a guy's ex-girlfriend to be trying so hard to help another girl win him over. But hey, what did I know. "I think it's a great idea, but I have to go now otherwise we'll be late for Clarence's."

"Oh, okay," she laughed. "See you soon then."

I said goodbye and hung up with her.

"So we've got family date night tonight, huh?" Adrian smirked when I turned back to face him. He reached out and brushed a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "We're the most incestuous family I've ever heard of."

I swatted his hand away, but laughed. "It's a good thing we're not actually related then."

Adrian took a step closer to me. "A very good thing," he mumbled, leaning in.

I put a hand on his chest to keep him from getting any closer and smiled. "I'll see you in a little while?"

"You know it," Adrian grinned. He didn't move any closer to me, but he did lean in a little and peck me on the cheek.

It was a small kiss, just a quick brush of his lips against my cheek, but it sent shockwaves through me. No one but my grandparents had ever kissed me on the cheek before, but this was nothing like that. The simple action made me feel warm and exhilarated, like I'd just eaten too much sugar. I probably should have been concerned that he'd kissed me outside in full view of anyone who was looking, but I was too distracted by the butterflies in my stomach to care.

We smiled stupidly at each other and said goodbye. I waved to Adrian as we pulled out of Ms. Terwilliger's neighborhood and went to pick up the gang.

###

"How have you never been bowling before?"

Adrian was sitting across from me in Clarence's living room, looking shocked by my admission that I'd never been bowling. He shouldn't have been. I mean, he knew I'd been practically raised in isolation from the rest of the world.

Jill was in the other room with Dorothy doing her feeding and Eddie and Angeline were sitting on either side of me on the couch. I had no idea where Clarence was, but I figured he was probably taking a nap, since that was his habit at this time of day.

"This cannot stand," Adrian went on, dramatically. "We're going bowling. We'll get you a pink ball or something and we'll wear those disgusting rented shoes and you'll have the time of your life."

I cringed at the thought of wearing rented shoes, but Adrian cut me off before I could voice my complaint.

"Yes, you have to wear them, Sage. It's part of the experience!"

"The experience of what? Getting foot fungus?" I asked.

He laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "They spray them with disinfectant in between rentals."

"That doesn't make me feel better," I muttered. "Disinfectants don't kill all bacteria. Sterilization is a much more effective process."

"It is kind of gross, but he's right," Eddie chimed in from his spot next to me on the couch. "It is part of the experience. And I've never actually heard of anyone catching anything from bowling shoes."

"It doesn't matter, just the thought of other people's feet–" My phone started ringing, cutting me off. I picked it up from where it had been sitting on the coffee table.

I cringed a little when I looked at the screen. The caller ID said Dad.

I told the others I had to take the call and went outside to be alone. I couldn't imagine what my father had to say to me, but the thought of Adrian overhearing my father berate me or give me backhanded compliments turned my stomach sour.

"Hello, sir," I said when I answered.

"Sydney, have you heard from Carly recently?"

It wasn't unlike my father to jump right into a topic instead of making small talk first, but it was unlike him to sound so shaken. And he was asking about Carly? Did the Alchemists find out she'd been here?

"I haven't heard from her since last week," I said cautiously. It wasn't a lie, I hadn't heard from her since the afternoon she'd shown up here.

My father was quiet for almost a full minute and I worried he was testing me. Giving me the opportunity to speak up and tell the truth before he announced what a miserable excuse for an alchemist I was. But in my heart I knew that wasn't what he was doing. The way his voice had wobbled a little when he'd said Carly's name was proof that this was serious and it wasn't about me.

"Did something happen?" I asked quietly, afraid of his answer.

"Your sister's missing," he said, his voice calm again. He was back to business. "Her school called today saying she hasn't been back since Thanksgiving break. The police are looking for her..."

He kept talking but my brain stopped retaining information after he said Carly was missing. Carly was missing? No. She was here after Thanksgiving. She was fine.

"Maybe the school was mistaken," I said. I could hear the hysterical edge bleeding into my voice and I tried to choke it down as best I could. "Maybe she's just skipping classes or something."

"Her roommate reported her missing," Dad said. "Her friends all said they hadn't heard from her. The police haven't found her car yet, so they're unsure how to proceed. They're saying she could have taken off on her own, but that doesn't seem like something Carly would do."

His voice shook again when he said her name and I could feel myself about to lose it. My dad was scared. He was never scared. Angry, dissapointed, irritated with me? Yes. But not scared.

I told him the truth about Carly coming to visit me in Palm Springs after Thanksgiving, even though I was hesitant of his reaction. It would give the police a wider area to search and possibly help locate her.

Dad seemed shocked. "She shouldn't have known where you were. You're in hiding, Sydney, on a top secret mission. How dare you tell anyone your location! You could have endangered the whole mission."

I bit my lip and kept quiet until he had finished. I had half a mind to tell him that it was Zoe who had outed our location to Carly and not me, but I couldn't do that to her. I could only imagine what she and my mom were going through back at home. "I'm sorry, sir," I said. "She asked to see me and I didn't think it could hurt anything."

He huffed a little on the other end of the phone. He sounded tired. "You said you saw her Saturday evening? And then she said she was driving back to school?"

"Yes, sir," I said.

He sighed. "I'll inform the police in that area."

"I'll check with hospitals and–"

"No, Sydney. You stay on task," he interrupted me. His voice softened a little. "I know you're worried about Carly, but your mission is too important. There isn't anything you can do anyway. I'll handle it and call you back if I make any progress."

I shook my head, disagreeing with him, but out loud I said, "Okay, you're right. I'll focus on my mission."

He said goodbye, but I heard him hesitate for a second at the end of the line. Finally, he said quietly, so quietly I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right, "I love you, Sydney. Be careful."

I bit my lip and blinked back my tears. It was the first time in awhile that my dad had said those words to me. "I love you, too, Dad. Find her."

After we'd hung up I didn't think, I just dialed Carly's cell. Dad had told me to stay out of it, but she was my sister! How could I stay out of it?

I called her three times, the call going straight to voicemail each time. I stood out side Clarence's house in the driveway, for almost ten minutes, just listening to my sister's voicemail message over and over again.

Finally, I shoved the phone back in my pocket and wiped my eyes. I needed a plan. I needed to find out where Carly was. Dad was wrong when he'd said I couldn't do anything to help find Carly, because I could. I was the only one who could find her. I started to go inside, ready to grab my keys and my purse and drive back to Ms. Terwilliger's to get the ingredients for a tracking spell like I'd done when Sonya was missing, but when I reached the living room I saw that Adrian was gone. I hadn't realized until that moment that I hadn't only gone inside for my keys, but also for Adrian. I wanted him to come with him.

"Where's Adrian?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea. Jill was now sitting on the couch in between Eddie and Angeline. I started down the hall toward Dorothy's room before any of them had a chance to answer me.

I pushed open the door, for once not caring about seeing Adrian feeding on Dorothy. I couldn't care. I needed him and this couldn't wait. Carly had already been gone for a week.

"Adrian," I said, as I entered the room.

He jumped back away from Dorothy, wiping at his mouth furiously with his hand. Dorothy just sat on her bed, smiling slightly, looking dazed.

"Sage, what the hell?" he said, more confused and embarrassed than angry. It surprised me that he would be embarrassed about feeding, but I pushed the thought away and grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the hall.

"We need to go back to Ms. Terwilliger's," I said, dragging him after me.

He dug his heels in and stopped me. "Why? What's going on? What happened?"

I couldn't look at him. If I did I'd break down and I didn't have time for that. "My sister is missing. I need to go, are you coming or not?"

"Carly?" he asked, but started walking again.

"Yeah, I have to find her. She been gone a week." My voice broke on the last part, my mind churning with all of the horrible things that could have happened to her in a week. She didn't deserve any of them. Why was the world so unfair? Why did it keep punishing my beautiful, happy, innocent sister when she'd never done anything wrong?

Eddie was waiting for us when we got to the living room but I didn't even stop when he called my name. I distantly heard Adrian tell him that something had happened with my sister and that we'd be back or call them once we knew something, but I didn't pay much attention. I was already out the door.

The drive to Ms. Terwilliger's was mostly silent. Adrian asked me what happened again, but I didn't know. I had no idea what could have happened so I didn't say anything. He didn't push after that, but he did pry my right hand from the death grip I had on the steering wheel and hold it tightly in his.

###

"What are you doing back? Did you forget someth–" Ms. Terwilliger started to ask, but stopped herself once she'd taken a look at my face. I must have looked terrible because she ushered us in without another word and sat me at the kitchen table.

"What happened?" she asked.

"My sister's gone missing," I said. The words weren't getting easier to say with time like I'd imagined they would. If anything, they were getting harder because I knew every second I wasted explaining, something awful could be happening to Carly.

"That sweet little Moroi thing? Jill?" Ms. Terwilliger asked, startling me. I didn't even know she knew Jill.

"No," Adrian said from beside me. He still held my hand, underneath the table. "Her real sister, Carly. She's been missing for a week, but we just found out today."

"Well," Ms. Terwilliger said. "What are we waiting for? Let's find her."

"How?" I asked. "I don't have anything of her's to use for the tracking spell."

It was something I'd been worrying about on the car ride over. When I'd done the spell to locate Sonya I'd had a piece of her hair. I didn't have anything of Carly's.

"She's you're biological sister, correct?" she asked. I nodded and she said, "Than you have her blood. You share it. When you do the spell, just concentrate on her and it will work the same way."

She led us back into the spell room and set all of the ingredients for the spell in front of me. Adrian stood by my side, like I might fall apart at any second and he would have to hold me together. It annoyed me, but somehow made me feel better all at the same time.

"You can do this," Ms. Terwilliger told me firmly. "Don't get yourself frustrated, just concentrate on your sister. And if you need help come get me."

She walked out of the room and Adrian softly brushed his thumb across my cheek once before following her out. I wanted to call him back and let him hold me together, but I could do that later after we'd found Carly. Right now I needed to concentrate.

An hour later and I was panicking. This shouldn't have been so hard this time. I knew I hadn't messed up the ingredients, because I'd measured them all three times before mixing them together. I wasn't taking any chances, but it still wasn't working. I stared into the silver tray, watching the drop of my blood mingle with the water, turning it a light pink color.

Pink.

A pink bowling ball. We were supposed to be bowling right now, having fun. I was supposed to be having fun with Adrian and the others, not here, desperately looking for my sister. How did everything go so wrong?

I stopped that line of thinking before I could lose my focus. I had to concentrate.

I tried for another half hour before going to get Ms. Terwilliger. She was in the living room watching TV, an orange cat sitting in her lap. I looked around for Adrian who seemed to be missing.

"Don't worry," Ms. Terwilliger said, noticing my entrance. "He's just outside on the phone. He said it was your other _brother_, Eddie."

I nodded, feeling slightly bad for ditching them at Clarence's without a word. I was glad Adrian was handling it, although I wondered what he was telling him. I knew he wouldn't tell Eddie about the magic, but I had no idea how he'd explain us running off together.

"Are you having trouble?" Ms. Terwilliger asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I nodded and she followed me back down the hall.

"I can't see anything. It's not working," I complained. "I didn't mess anything up, I made sure."

"I don't doubt you did," she said. "Try again. I'll stay here and watch."

I did as she asked. I stared into the pink water for what must have been another half hour, concentrating on Carly and only Carly, before Ms. Terwilliger finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's going to work this time," she said apologetically.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was confused. How could I make it work with Sonya and not with my own sister?

"It's nothing you did," she said quickly. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Something's blocking the magic. Or more precisely, someone."

"Who?" I asked, a bad feeling starting to twist my stomach into a knot.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But whoever it is is using magic to block you out and with all of the disappearances linked to my sister, I'd say our suspect list is pretty short."

My mouth dropped open. "You think Genevieve took Carly?"

"I'd bet money on it," she said gravely.


	15. Chapter 15

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Hey guys. Sorry this update took so long. I didn't completely fall off of the face of the earth, even though it felt like it. My town was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and we lost power for ten days. We only got power back yesterday night so I'm finally updating! Thanks so much to you guys who have been stalking this story waiting for a new chapter. That means a lot and I want you to know I'm not going to just stop writing this story one day. I'll finish because you guys deserve it! Plus it's a lot of fun to write.**

**Let me know what you think of this chapter, it was a hard one to write, but I managed to get it finished. Review and tell me if it's any good :)**

"But how?" I asked, standing helplessly in Mrs. Terwilliger's magic room. "How would she know where to find Carly? Or even who she was? It doesn't make any sense." I lifted my arms and dropped them back to my sides like a petulant child.

"She must know about you," Ms. Terwilliger asserted. "Your sister doesn't know she's a witch, correct? So she wouldn't be a likely target for Genevieve, but you? She'd use bait to get to you."

"She's using my sister as bait?" I nearly screeched.

"Who's doing what?" Adrian asked, walking into the room looking concerned. I briefly wondered if he'd been outside on the phone this whole time or if he'd been waiting in the living room and came in when he heard us talking.

He came up beside me, close enough that my bare arm brushed his shirt when he breathed. Under any other circumstance his closeness might have made my heartbeat speed up, but right now it just provided a sense of comfort. I was glad he was here with me.

"Genevieve has my sister," I offered to him before turning back to Ms. Terwilliger. "She's still in Los Angeles, right?"

She nodded. "I assume so, but there's no way to be sure."

"Then I'm going," I said and started to turn around. I wasn't sure what I'd do once I got there, but if that's where Carly was than that's where I needed to be.

"Just wait a second," Ms. Terwilliger said, stopping me. "What's your plan? By the time you get there it will nearly be the middle of the night."

"I'll figure something out," I said firmly and began to turn away again.

Adrian stopped me this time, with a hand on my shoulder. "I have to agree with Jackie on this one, Sage," he said gently. "You don't have an address or anything. Are you planning on going door to door in the middle of the night?"

"If that's what it takes!" How were they not understanding this? Carly was my sister. I had to find her. She needed me!

Adrian frowned, but it was full of sympathy, not annoyance. "Sydney, we're going to get her back, but we need a plan. You know I'm right," he said. "And I know you can come up with one hell of a plan if you just stop and think for a second. Use that amazing brain of yours."

Our eyes locked for the first time since we'd left Clarence's and I felt my eyes fill with tears. I couldn't handle this. I couldn't think, I was too panicked. All I wanted to do was run out the door and drive to L.A. where I knew my sister would be. It might not have been the best idea, but at that moment it was the only one that I could come up with.

"I know you want to run off and save her," he said, voicing my thoughts. "And if it were you or Jill, I'd want to do the same, but it's dangerous and getting yourself hurt or abducted is not going to help Carly." He leaned down, looking serious enough that I couldn't look away from him even if I'd wanted. A serious Adrian was worth ten of anyone else. "Please don't do anything stupid, Sage. Promise me."

I stared back at him, still fighting tears, but I couldn't promise. Not when the only plan I could formulate involved driving through the suburbs of L.A. looking for a house might be the one I'd had in my vision. Genevieve's house.

When I didn't answer he sighed and pulled me to his chest. "At least promise me you won't do anything stupid _without me_. Okay?" he murmured into my hair.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his back, holding on like he was my only grip on my sanity, uncaring that Ms. Terwilliger was watching. It seemed she already knew how I felt, so who cared if she saw Adrian and I together? Who was she going to tell? A part of me registered surprise at just how much I trusted her not to say anything.

I pulled away from Adrian and stood straight, taking a deep breath and trying to get my brain in working order.

"Let's go into the living room," Ms. Terwilliger said. "I'll make us all some tea and we'll discuss thi–"

My phone rang for what felt like the millionth time that day. It's high, shrill tone caused me to flinch before I pulled it out of my pocket. I nearly dropped it upon reading the caller ID.

"It's Carly," I whispered, staring at the phone like it was a snake. I immediately knew this was one of two things. It was either Carly calling to tell me it was all a huge mistake, or it was Genevieve calling to set me up in some sort of trap. I didn't believe for even a second that I'd hear Carly's voice when I answered the phone, but I answered anyway because what else could I do?

"Sydney?" Carly's voice rang through my head and I couldn't remember ever being so happy to hear her voice.

"Carly? Carly, what's going on? Where are you?" I bombarded her with a barrage of questions while I paced back and forth in Ms. Terwilliger's magic room. "Tell me what happened?"

"I can't tell you over the phone," Carly said and for the first time I noticed the chill in her voice. Carly's tone was usually friendly and gentle. Playful. But tonight she sounded serious, exasperated even. "You're going to have to meet me. Midnight."

She gave me the address to a warehouse on the outskirts of Los Angeles and hung up before I could get any real answers from her. For a second I debated whether or not that was actually my older sister I'd talked to at all, but it had to be. The Carly on the phone had had the same voice and audible tells to let me know that it was my sister. But still... It didn't sound like her. Carly didn't speak in brisk, matter of fact, business-like terms. She was the more emotional of the Sage sisters, taking after my mom's personality the most.

I turned to see Adrian and Ms. Terwilliger waiting for me to tell them what was going on. Adrian had heard the phone conversation because he said, "I don't like this, Sage. Midnight? In some abandoned warehouse? Yeah, that doesn't sound like a trap at all."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Just not go?" I snapped. I was frustrated and I couldn't take his snarky retorts right now, even though I knew he meant well.

"I'm not saying that," he said. "But we're not prepared." He rubbed the back of his neck, seeming to think something over. "Sydney, maybe we should fill Castile in on some of this," he said finally.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "We're not telling anyone. It's no one's business."

"He's concerned, Sydney," Adrian pressed. "I just spent the last forty-five minutes trying to convince him not to call the guardians in to track down Carly."

So he had been on the phone the whole time. "What did you tell him?" I asked.

He gave me a ghost of his usual smirk. "I told him you had your ways and that we were handling it. Said you had contacts that could help. You're just mysterious enough that he didn't question the vague answer, but he thought the guardians could be useful anyway."

"The guardians can't know." I shook my head. "They'd have no idea what's waiting for them."

"Fine, but what about just telling Castile? We'll need someone to have our backs–"

"You'll have me," Ms. Terwilliger interjected. Adrian and I spun to look at her, the both of us having completely forgotten she was present during our argument. She set her jaw and stood to her full height. "We know its a trap, but we don't have much of a choice do we? Besides," she said, twirling a small sack of ingredients that I assumed was some sort of charm between her fingers. "It's been awhile since I've seen my sister. It might be a perfect time for a little family reunion.

###

It was nearly eleven by the time we got to the city. Adrian and I had driven with Ms. Terwilliger in her car. Adrian had filled me in on his phone call with Eddie on the ride. Apparently, he'd given Eddie the keys to the Mustang before we'd left Clarence's saying he'd pick the car up from Amberwood when we got back. Ms. Terwilliger had called Mrs. Weathers to get me an extended curfew, so I wouldn't be missed for a while yet.

We'd also come up with a very rudimentary plan for dealing with Genevieve's trap at the warehouse. We arrived an hour early to scope the place out; see how many henchman she had with her, find all escape routes, that sort of thing. But surprisingly, there was no one there. We searched the building, looking for people or video cameras or bugs, but we didn't find any. The warehouse was clean.

"This could be some sort of mind game," Adrian said from his spot on an overturned crate. Somehow he managed to make that seat look totally comfortable. "Let us sit here trying to figure out what her plan is so when she finally does show up we're all paranoid and off our game."

"Genevieve does love her mind games," Ms. Terwilliger said. She was leaning against a wall, a spot she chose so she would have a clear view of all of the entrances. It reminded me of something Eddie and Dimitri would do and it was very strange to see my whacky history teacher standing guard that way. "It's no use to worry about it," she went on. "We've got everything we need and you two know what to do. Just relax for now. You'll need your strength for later."

She was staring at me while she said that. Adrian was too. I couldn't help it, I was pacing back and forth between them, hugging my bag with all of the charms Ms. Terwillger had loaded it up with before we left. Not only was I about to meet the crazy witch who kidnapped my sister, but I was also going to have to use my power for the first time against someone. I didn't like the thought of hurting someone. I didn't mind defending myself, but to go offensive, even to get Carly back, was hard for me.

"Come here, Sage," Adrian said, pulling a crate up beside his. "We've got a bit until midnight. Let's... play a game or something."

A half hour and about a million games of I-Spy later—Adrian's distraction of choice, which he was terrible at—we finally heard a car pull up outside. It only took a few minutes after that to realize our plan wasn't even necessary.

When the door to the warehouse opened three people walked in. Two men in dark jackets, the same men I'd seen standing on the street that day at the corner by Spencer's. I wasn't really surprised to see them. From the moment Ms. Terwilliger said Genevieve might be involved I figured those guys had to work for her. What I didn't expect was the petite blond with long hair and golden brown eyes to walk up behind them. Carly was unbound and walking like she had a purpose, but that purpose didn't seem to include getting away from her captors. Genevieve wasn't here at all.

Adrian, Ms. Terwilliger and I stood in the center of the warehouse watching them approach. It was all I could do not to run across the space between us and throw my arms around Carly. I was so relieved to see she was alright that I didn't notice the scowl on her face at first. She stopped five feet from us, the two henchmen flanking her on either side. But they didn't seem hostile, the vibe they were giving off was more protective than menacing.

"Carly, are you–" I started, confused as to what this all meant.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" my sister sneered, unexpectedly. Her usually beautiful face was twisted in such a way that she appeared unfamiliar, but that might have just been the way she was acting. I'd never seen her look so angry before, it made her look different. Like an alien had come down and taken over my sister.

As I looked into her eyes, those eyes that looked so similar to my own, I didn't know what to say to her. _No, I hadn't really thought about telling her at all? She was normal, she had a good life outside of all of this magic and misery that seemed to circle me daily, so no. Why would I have ever thought to disturb that by telling her our parents had lied to us our entire lives? That we were witches?_ I simply looked at her, shrugging helplessly as I said, "I don't know."

"You're just as bad as them!" she stated fiercely. "Mom and Dad do nothing but lie to us! All of our lives. But you keep your secrets too, don't you, Sydney? You knew about what we are and you. Never. Told. Me! You didn't think for even a second that I might like to know I'm a witch? That I control the same magic that we were raised to fear!"

I stood stock still as she unloaded on me, watching as she gestured wildly with her hands, so unlike her usual calm and friendly demeanor, but with that one action proving that she still was my sister. Carly had inherited that talking with her hands thing from Mom.

"You had no right to keep something like that from me! How long have you known? Huh, Sydney? How long?" she demanded.

"A few months," I admitted. "I just found out and I don't even know how _I_ feel about it, what was I supposed to tell you?"

"The truth," Carly exclaimed. "For once, Sydney, you could have told someone the truth."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded, getting annoyed with her attitude. I didn't like that we were having a private, family argument in front of people, including two strange henchman, but if this was how she wanted it...

"It means you never tell anyone anything. I've always thought Dad was the secretive one, but in the past couple of years you've already told more lies and half-truths than him, haven't you?"

"And what about you?" I yelled. "It's not like you've always been completely honest. What about Keith?"

I regretted saying that the moment it was out of my mouth. Carly's face paled, but she was furious. She gestured toward Adrian. "Haven't told Mom and Dad about him, have you? And you won't, because I know you. I know you're too scared to disappoint Dad." She turned to address Adrian then. "Bet she's lying to you, too. Making you believe you stand a chance. Truth is she's too much of a coward to be with you."

Adrian looked like he was barely containing his anger. I understood why he'd be angry with her on my account, I was angry with her, but I didn't want him snapping at my sister. Bringing up Keith was far worse than what she had said. I stepped closer to Carly, in between her and Adrian so that she'd have to look at me. "Carly, just listen. Whatever Genevieve has been saying to you–"

"She's been telling me the truth!" Carly shouted. "She's teaching me about my heritage."

"Carly, she's not a good person," I said, desperate to have her listen to reason. "She kidnapped you!"

"She showed me the light," Carly said softly, which was so much worse than her anger. These weren't words said in the heat of the moment. This was what she actually thought. "Genevieve is teaching me to be a witch, to use my magic the way I was born to. I won't be a victim anymore. Not to men like Keith, not to the lies of my family. Not to anyone."

Ms. Terwilliger watched from her spot next to Adrian. She hadn't moved since Carly came in, but she was watching us intensely. Especially Carly. I kept waiting for her to jump in, to tell Carly how evil Genevieve was, but she didn't. She just stood back and watched the show.

Carly took a step closer to me and said, "I think it's time you leave now, Sydney. Genevieve wanted me to extend an offer to you. She wants to teach you everything she knows, like she's been teaching me, but I can't stand to be around you right now. I'm too angry. _You_ lie, _Dad_ lies, poor little Zoe wants to be just like you. And Mom! Well, Mom's, apparently, the biggest liar of them all." She turned away and started walking back to the door. The henchman followed her just as silently as they had when they'd first come in. Apparently they were unconcerned that Carly didn't try to get me to return with her.

Adrian stepped up next to me and whispered, "If you and Jackie take out Goon One and Goon Two, I'll compel her to come back with us."

I watched my sister reach the door and turn back to look at me. Our eyes met across the room and I knew why Genevieve hadn't set up an ambush tonight. She hadn't needed one. This was her plan. She'd brainwashed my sister, using her own fear and uncertainty against her, and was now using her to get me to surrender myself. She didn't want to take me by force, she wanted me to come on my own free will, because that was how you got someone to stay. Tying someone up can only hold them for so long, but a willing follower will stay with you forever.

"No," I told Adrian, watching my sister walk from the warehouse into the dark night outside. I'd heard the fierce certainty in Carly's voice, she was so angry even if Adrian did compel her she'd just run back to Genevieve once it wore off. She'd probably be even more convinced in Genevieve's teachings.

I think I would've stood there all night if Ms. Terwilliger hadn't ushered us out the door and into her car. She reiterated the same thing I'd already realized, that Genevieve was playing mind games. Using Carly, not as a victim, but as a weapon, poised to strike at my heart and my mind. To cause doubt in my resolve. To get me to willingly turn traitor. I tuned her out once we were on the road.

I couldn't understand why Carly had been so mad at me. _She_ had the good life. _She_ got to go to college and make friends and go to movies. She didn't have the Alchemists breathing down her neck all the time. She was happy, or so I'd thought. She'd called me a coward. I knew I wasn't brave the way Dimitri and Rose were, but I thought I'd been pretty brave recently. Strigoi attacks, standing up to the Warriors. Did it all mean nothing unless I stood up to the people who were responsible for ruining my life? I had to admit, I was scared of the Alchemists. I'd always be scared, they conditioned me that way. I was scared of my dad, too, for the same reason. He'd demanded respect, obedience and perfection. I couldn't seem to deliver on the perfection, but I could handle respect and obedience. What would it be like to talk back to him, to tell him what I really felt, what I believed? Part of me thought it might be liberating. The other part knew I'd end up in a reeducation center.

What she'd said about me playing Adrian eventually crawled into my brain as well. I hoped he knew that it wasn't true. I wasn't trying to lead him on. All of the touching, the hand holding, the hugging, it was because I cared for him. I liked being around him, he provided me with a sense if comfort and safety. It was true, I still had no idea if or when we'd ever actually be together, but it wasn't a game to me. It tore me apart, feeling guilty every time I pulled away from him.

When we got back to Ms. Terwilliger's I'd thanked her for helping us tonight and agreed to meet up with her tomorrow to discuss what needed to be done now. She took my hand and squeezed it, whispering, "I'm sorry, Sydney. You're sister will come around."

I nodded before getting into Latte and driving back to Amberwood. Adrian didn't try to talk to me on the way, he just sat quietly, letting me have the time to myself. I appreciated it, but at the same time, more time to think was the last thing I needed right now. Carly had been brainwashed as surely as I would be if the Alchemists ever found out how I truly felt about the Moroi sitting next to me.

I glanced over to see Adrian staring back at me. Our eyes met and the very thing I'd been avoiding since my father's phone call this afternoon happened. A gut wrenching sob ripped through me and I had to pull over on the side of the road. Tears streamed down my face and all I could do was hang onto the steering wheel and cry. I hadn't cried like this since I was a kid, but I couldn't ebb the flow of tears, no matter how I tried.

I was embarrassed to lose it like this in front of Adrian, but he didn't say anything. Didn't tell me that everything would be okay, that there was no reason to cry. Instead he reached over and unbuckled my seat belt before pulling me across the console and into his lap. It was a tight fit, cramming the two of us into the passenger seat, his long legs taking up most of the room, but having his arms wrapped around me made me feel better. It was like he was holding me together, just like I'd thought about back at Ms. Terwilliger's earlier. He let me cry into his shirt until there were no tears left, rubbing my back gently the entire time.

I pulled back once I was finished, my cheeks flaming as red as my eyes probably were. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my throat raw from crying.

"You shouldn't be sorry," he said, and that protective edge was back in his voice. "I'm sorry, Sydney, but your sister had no right to talk to you like that. You are the bravest girl I have ever met and if she doesn't see that then she doesn't know you at all."

I felt a few more tears spill passed my lashes, but kept my composure. "It's not her fault. Genevieve's probably telling her all sorts of stories. And I did lie to her. That part is true. I lie to everyone. I don't want to, but I do it anyway."

He brushed my bangs back behind my ears, so gently I wanted to cry again. He made me look into his eyes as he said, "Have you ever lied to me?"

I shook my head, slowly. "No."

He leaned his forehead against mine and smiled down at me. "Then you don't lie to everyone."

His strange logic made me smile, just a little. It was like he could take the edge off of any situation. Before I could think about the consequences I leaned closer, pressing my lips to his. He didn't respond at first, his eyes still open, locking with mine as I kissed him harder, trying to coax a response out of him. I needed him to respond. I needed to prove to myself that I wasn't lying about wanting to be with him. I wanted him more than I wanted air to breathe and I wanted to prove it.

Finally, his eyes slipped closed and he tightened his grip on my waist. I closed my eyes too, pressing my chest to his, trying to get as close as possible in the small space. I gripped his shoulders, kissing him harder, more desperately. I wanted this. Didn't I? The blood rushing passed my ears made it hard for me to hear, but he was moaning a little, small sounds that had me turning in the seat to straddle his lap. His lips were demanding, and mine responded as though I was suffocating and he was oxygen. Belatedly, I realized I was making noises, too. Desperate little gasps that didn't sound anything like me.

When Adrian tried to pull away I threw my arms around his neck to keep him close, to keep our bodies moving against each other. "No, Sydney," he breathed, pulling back again and unlocking my arms from behind his neck.

I was suddenly so embarrassed I couldn't meet his eyes. I had literally thrown myself at him and he had to be the one to push me away. What was I thinking? But that was the problem, I had been trying not to think. Trying not to consider consequences and my own limitations. Trying not to think about my sister and her words and what was going to happen. I had tried to use Adrian to make myself forget, even for just a little while. I might be terrible with social and romantic interactions, but even I knew that that was wrong.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, staring at the wet stain on his T-shirt from where I had cried.

He dipped a finger under my chin and turned my head up, forcing me to face him. "It's okay. You don't ever have to be sorry about kissing me," he smirked, but I could tell it was forced. It had taken a lot for him to push me away. Even if I hadn't meant to before, tonight I had played with his feelings for me. I had used them to my own advantage and the guilt I felt seeing the longing in his eyes nearly took my breath away.

I shook my head, miserably. "It was unfair to you," was all I could say.

He pulled me to his chest, holding me to him like I might disappear. "Sydney, you're upset. You have every right to be. You kissed me, big deal. You're hurting and you wanted comfort. Trust me, I've done much worse when I was hurting." He whispered that last part so softly, I wasn't sure he'd meant me to hear it. "Don't worry about what's fair to me. I'd do anything to make you happy, but doing this will only make you feel worse in the morning. I know you're not ready for this, yet."

I held him tight, thanking him the only way I could. He kissed the top of my head once before pulling away and looking at me again.

"It's late," he said. "You want me to drive?"

###

Adrian drove us back to Amberwood. I was now a stunning mix of anger, grief, embarrassment and what I could only assume was lust. I really did want to lose myself in Adrian even if I knew he was right. It'd just make me feel worse about everything in the morning. If Adrian and I were ever going to be together I didn't want it to start because of something like this. And I certainly didn't want to take things too far with him because I was upset. He wasn't a distraction, although he was great at them, he was someone whom I cared deeply about. I wasn't going to ruin that for anything.

Once we'd parked, in an open spot near where Eddie had parked the Mustang, Adrian leaned back against my car, pulling me with him. "We're going to convince your sister, Sage. Don't worry about that."

"I know," I told him, pulling back. "I just feel awful. What if Genevieve hurts her because of me? Why does she even want me? What's her plan? I can't figure anything out and it's driving me insane."

"Welcome to my world." He smiled and stepped over to his car, pulling a set of keys from on top of the back tire.

"You shouldn't do that," I told him, gesturing to his keys. "Car thieves know to check there. You're just lucky the student parking lot is secure."

He laughed and told me to get some rest. I didn't mention that that was probably not going to happen. On the way here he'd asked me if I'd like to stay with him—_Strictly platonic, Sage, I'll sleep on the couch_—but I'd refused. My emotions and inhibitions were all jumbled right now. Strictly platonic might not stay strictly platonic for too long. But now I was faced with spending what was left of the night alone in my dorm room with my thoughts.

I didn't even bother turning the lights on. I just fell onto the bed, fully clothed, and started to cry. I hadn't thought I'd had any tears left, but they were there.

Why hadn't I just told Carly everything I'd learned about myself since coming to Amberwood? If I'd just told her the truth none of this would be happening right now. My sister wouldn't feel so betrayed by her family that she turned to a psychopath for answers.

A soft knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. I sniffed a few times, trying to collect myself, afraid that one of the girls in the room next to me had heard me crying through the walls. Even worse was the thought that they'd called down to the lobby to complain and the poor college student who had the shift tonight would be standing outside, ready to comfort or council me. I opened the door a crack and peeked out, squinting into the bright hallway.

"Sydney?" came Jill's hesitant voice. "Can I come in?"

I opened the door, wondering what else could possibly have gone wrong tonight that she'd need to tell me about. Or maybe this was about Adrian? Had something happened? Or was she just going to yell at me for playing with his feelings in the car before?

Jill came into the room, shutting the door behind her, and threw her arms around me. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Whatever you need to get your sister back from that women, just let me know. I can get whatever you need, no questions asked, from Lissa."

I was stunned. Not because of her generosity or her offer to ask Lissa for something, even though I knew their relationship was strained, but because she had said "that women." Jill knew about Genevieve? About witches?

I pulled away from her and sat on my bed. "You saw all of that?" I asked, my voice thick from crying. The lights were still off so I couldn't see her face, but I knew she would have no problem seeing my swollen, puffy eyes.

"Not all of it," she admitted. "Just parts. But after he dropped you off Adrian got really angry. Not with you or anything," she said quickly, "but because he doesn't know how to help you. I got sucked into that."

"So, you saw... Do you know..." I couldn't bring myself to ask her straightforward.

"That you're a witch?" she said softly. I watched her silhouette turn away from me and face my desk. "I've known about that for awhile, actually." She turned back around and started to ramble. "Adrian kept his thoughts about that really private. But every once in awhile I'd catch something that didn't make any sense. You and magic and danger was all wrapped up together even though I couldn't figure out why. Occasionally he'd think about magic and your teacher, Ms. Terwilliger. I couldn't figure out what it all meant and I know I had no right, but I went and talked to her."

Despite everything else I was feeling my anger peeked at her confession. "_You what?_ That was none of your business, Jill!" I lowered my voice, not wanting to wake everyone in the hall. "Just because you share a bond with Adrian doesn't give you any right to go poking around in my life," I hissed.

"I know and I'm so sorry. But it scared him and that scared me." She sat next to me on the bed. "I care about you, Sydney. You've been better to me than my own sister has. So I was worried and I crossed the line. I'm sorry, but I did it with good intentions. I know that doesn't make it right, though."

I sighed and crawled the rest of the way onto my bed. I was too tired to fight about this. After my initial anger dispersed I wasn't even that upset. Jill was just one less person I was lying to now. I expected her to stand up and leave, but instead she asked, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

I was surprised to discover I did want her to stay. As a child I hadn't shared a room with my sisters, but I'd shared a room with Jill when we first got to Amberwood. Even though I enjoyed having a space to myself, I missed the company sometimes. And I'd never missed her company as much as I did tonight.

I nodded and scooted over to give her some room on the bed. She laid down next to me, curling into my side like a child. Carly and I had shared a bed once, the night she told me what Keith had done to her. She'd curled into me the same way Jill was now. When I stared crying again Jill just held my hand and waited with me until the tears stopped and we both fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Richelle Mead owns VA And Bloodlines series.**

**Omg you guys! I'm sure you've all heard by now but Richelle Mead announced that Bloodlines #4 is going to be titled The Fiery Heart and will be written in both Sydney AND Adrian's POV's! OMG! It leaves me thinking that what I thought would happen at the end of The Indigo Spell is now almost certainly ****_going_**** to happen. Which makes me sad, but I can't wait to read from Adrian's perspective!**

**Because of this new info, I'm thinking about ending this story on a cliffhanger to be picked back up after The Indigo Spell is released. I was going to give it an HEA and start a new story after TIS but now I'm reconsidering. I will write another story after TIS is released anyway but it won't be a direct sequel to this because this story will be completely obsolete after the book is released, but I sort of want to end this story the way I think TIS will end and see if I'm right. It I'm completely wrong I can always create a direct sequel to this if you guys want. But don't worry, I don't think the end is coming anytime soon, I just wanted to see how you guys would feel about that. Would you want an HEA, a direct sequel, or a new story continuing after TIS? Or maybe I suck and you guys don't want anything :P**

**Anyway, let me know what you guys think of this chapter! It's LONG, but I really love the end.**

My morning was going only slightly less awfully than yesterday had. So far I'd woken up next to Jill, who had given me pity looks until I'd finally convinced her I was okay to be alone, at least long enough to get dressed. I'd appreciated her company last night, but today I just wanted to be alone.

While pulling on a pair of jeans my phone had started to ring and I almost tripped trying to get to my desk to pick it up. I'd wanted to pretend I hadn't heard it when I saw that it was Stanton calling, but I knew that that would only make me look bad so I'd answered.

"I'm very sorry, but I must inform you that the Moroi queen has requested your appearance at court this weekend," Stanton had said.

Sonya's wedding was this weekend and we were all going, just waiting on confirmation of our travel plans. It hadn't even occurred to me that I, as an alchemist and human, wouldn't be included in those plans. I'd quickly realized that the Alchemists were only planning on me flying there and back with the gang, due to the use of civilian transportation, but not actually going to court with them. Why would I, after all? There was no need for an alchemist in the court. But Stanton's apologies told me that someone, probably Rose or Sonya, had realized that I'd need an excuse to join them and had asked Lissa to make a fuss.

"The queen's requesting a meeting with you regarding your mission and wants you to be on premises for the sake of convenience." She'd scoffed. "She's apparently much too busy to set an appointment. I'm sorry, Miss Sage, but you'll have to stay there. With _them_."

"It's okay, ma'am. I understand. I need to do my duty." I'd tried to affect a horrified but obedient tone. It was hard because really I just wanted to say, _They are people, not animals. Stop acting like they're monsters._ But I knew better than that. It wasn't even shocking to me anymore, how I felt or what I believed. Now that I knew what I was and what the Alchemists were truly like, it was becoming easier to disagree with the things that they'd ingrained into me. And even without any of that, Adrian, Jill and the rest were enough to change my opinions of vampires.

Stanton had sounded impressed by my "sacrifice." "It's only for the weekend, but I still hate having to send you there. You're an outstanding example of what an Alchemist should be. Brave in the face of evil."

I'd rolled my eyes a little, but said, "If it's what the Alchemists think is best than it's what needs to be done."

"When your mission's over I'll try to get you a good detail, somewhere away from them," she'd offered as a consolation.

"If it's possible, ma'am, I think I'd like to stay here," I said. "Once the vampires leave it'll just be Clarence Donahue"—and Adrian, because there was no way he'd go back to court—"and Palm Springs will still need an alchemist."

"You'd want to stay there?" Stanton had asked with the same confused tone you'd have asking a boxer why he wanted to get punched in the face over and over again.

"I like the sun," I'd said simply.

That seemed to be a satisfactory answer because she'd told me she'd put in a request for me to maintain the post of head Alchemist in Palm Springs after the mission ended and hung up.

On my way down to breakfast I was once again accosted by Jill, this time with Angeline in tow. Angeline didn't really seem to know what was going on, aside from my sister being missing, but she was looking at me with that shrewd Guardian gaze and I knew it was only a matter of time before she discovered something.

Eddie wasn't any better once we'd made it to the cafeteria. He kept asking if there was anything he could do. I was touched that he'd want to go out of his way to help a member of my family whom he'd never even met, but I didn't want to talk about it. I couldn't fill him in on the details without dragging him into my mess and if he got mixed up trying to help me who'd protect Jill? So I'd said the Alchemist's were handling it with the police department.

It was true to an extent. My father had called all of the police departments from here to Utah with a missing persons report.

When Adrian called shortly after breakfast I'd stood in the courtyard by the cafeteria staring at my phone. I wasn't quite sure what to make of him after last night. He'd pushed me away when I'd kissed him, saving me from regret and even more embarrassment. But was he mad? I'd kissed him in a moment of weakness, used him after telling him over and over again that we couldn't be together, at least not yet. I was embarrassed and had no idea how to approach him on the subject. He'd been nice about it last night, but that could have been for my benefit. He might be hurt and annoyed at me. The last thing I wanted was to hurt him.

I'd hit the talk button and held the phone to my ear.

"Sage, I think I might have an idea about how to get your sister back from the dark side," he'd said quickly after I'd answered. "Meet me at Jackie's in, like, an hour, okay?"

I'd agreed, feeling eager to hear his idea and get this show on the road, but still a little wary of seeing him. I could feel the heat in my face just from hearing his voice over the phone. I'd briefly wondered if I'd ever be able to look him in the eyes again without blushing.

Now, sitting around Ms. Terwilliger's kitchen table, I was having a hard time not looking at his eyes. I remembered back to the spirit dream I'd shared with Adrian a while ago, the one where I'd questioned whether or not his eyes were really that green in real life. Seeing him sitting here, eating eggs at my history teacher/magical mentor's house, was more than a little surreal. Everything about Adrian was a little surreal. Those eyes, his smile, the way he'd walked in, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and told me everything was going to be alright. He was... too good to be true. He didn't look upset in the least about last night, actually he seemed excited and proud about his idea. Whatever it was.

"Adrian, are you going to get to the part where you tell us your plan to rescue Carly, or is your plan to wait until Genevieve dies of old age?" I asked.

He smiled at my sarcasm and crammed another spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth before putting his fork down. "Sorry, Sage. Just hungry. Haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon."

_Join the club_, I'd wanted to say, but that would only make him worry. And anyway, I'd eaten a few pieces of melon at breakfast. Usually it was enough, but for some reason I was still feeling hungry. The eggs Ms. Terwilliger had made smelled amazing, but I'd only eaten an hour ago. Just because I was on edge about Carly was no reason to overeat.

Adrian finished chewing and began to explain his plan.

"Last night, when I got home, I was thinking a lot about you, Sage." I felt my cheeks heat, but Adrian kept talking. "You've been through so much. Getting in trouble because of Rose, getting sent out here with us, finding out you're a witch and then discovering the Alchemists will try to kill you if they ever find out. And now Carly! I just kept thinking about how unfair it all is to you and then I realized that the solution was right there. Buried in everything you've already been through."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, sipping the coffee I'd picked up on my way over.

"What happened when you talked to Marcus?" Adrian asked.

I put my coffee down and narrowed my eyes at him. "You were there," I pointed out. "He told me about his experiences with the Alchemists and I—Oh!" I smiled at him, suddenly understanding his point. "You're a genius, Adrian!"

I had half a mind to lean over the table and kiss him, but then again I'd been wanting to do that since he showed up here. After last night all I wanted to focus on we're his lips, but I couldn't let myself go there. I needed to concentrate. Instead, I turned to Ms. Terwilliger.

"We need dirt on your sister," I told her, pragmatically. "You're going to have to tell us the name of everyone she's ever hurt, anyone she's ever betrayed. If we can catch her in a lie the way I caught the Alchemists than Carly will listen. I know she will, as long as we have some sort of evidence."

Ms. Terwilliger frowned. "I haven't seen my sister in nearly twenty years," she said. "I'm afraid I won't be much help. We parted ways after she left our coven to pursue the darker arts."

My stomach dropped. "So you have no idea what she's been up to? You can't tell us anything that might help us convince Carly to see reason?"

"Sydney, if I did I would've mentioned it last night," she said gently.

"Oh," I said, turning back to Adrian, who looked just as dejected as I felt. What were we going to do now?

"I don't have any dirt on my sister," Ms. Terwilliger said again, "but I do know someone who might. You know him, too, actually."

"What?" I asked at the same time Adrian asked, "Who?"

Ms. Terwilliger looked back and forth between us as she said, "Marcus Finch."

"How do you know Marcus Finch?" I asked, stunned and a little suspicious. She'd never mentioned knowing Marcus.

Adrian was watching the older woman with narrowed eyes. No doubt, he was wondering how she knew Marcus and why she was only divulging this information now, as well.

"Oh, relax, the both of you," she said, standing to place her plate in the sink. "When you told me you were tracking an Alchemist I figured it was Marcus. He's the only Alchemist that would be off of the grid, so to speak. And then Adrian confirmed it when he asked me about using his magic to boost your spells. Only another magic user would have told you about that." She turned back to face us. "I've never met him, personally, but I've heard about him from members of other covens. He belongs to a group out in Los Angeles, last I heard. He joined them shortly after parting ways with my sister and her joke of a coven."

"Someone's got a little sibling rivalry going on," Adrian quipped.

"Hardly," Ms. Terwilliger smiled. "I've never been much for competition. That's always been more of Genevieve's thing. Even as children she'd craved attention, power. She always had to be the best at everything she did, where as I was always content to just do my best." Ms. Terwilliger sighed. "It's a trait I wished hadn't followed her into adulthood. It's only gotten worse with time. It started with her having to be the strongest in our coven. She'd perform spells that were beyond her ability just to be better than the other members. She didn't care that the spells drained her and could end up hurting her or someone else. She would say, 'What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.' Eventually, we were forced to kick her out of our group. She was angry with me for that. I pointed out that she had already been planning on leaving before the coven had made the decision but she was beyond reason. She hasn't spoken to me since."

"You haven't talked to your sister in twenty years because your coven kicked her out?" I asked, feeling regret for her loss. Even if Genevieve was crazy, no one should miss out on twenty years of their sister's life. Ever.

I made a mental note to try to get ahold of Zoe as soon as I got back to my dorm. I'd send her an email or something apologizing for the way I acted before I'd left for Palm Springs. Even if I didn't feel I was wrong, pride wasn't a good enough reason to not speak to your own sister. And now that Carly was gone...

"But what does any of this have to do with Marcus?" I asked, getting back on track.

"I might not have spoken to her, Ms. Melbourne, but that doesn't mean I haven't kept my ears open. I've been keeping track of her. It wasn't until recently, with all of the disappearances, that I became truly worried about her. She's always had crazy schemes to help her and her coven gain more power, but she's never resorted to kidnapping or anything this dangerous before." She lowered her head into her hands. "Her coven is full of the worst of the worst. Powerful witches and warlocks who believe themselves above the rules and traditions, but they've never done anything like this before. Your friend Marcus was one of them. I suggest you get in touch with him and see what he knows. He might be able to help with your sister, or possibly even know what Genevieve is up to. He only split with her group a few years ago."

###

After calling three times with no answer, I left a message on Marcus's voicemail.

"It's Sydney," I said. "Please, call me back as soon as possible. It might be life and death." I hung up the phone and placed it back in my pocket.

Ms. Terwilliger was sitting on the couch, stroking a black cat that had leisurely sprawled itself across her lap. Adrian was sitting next to her, flipping through the channels on her TV, looking bored.

"So, now that we've got ourselves a source of information," Adrian said, turning from the TV to address me, "how are we going to get to Carly?"

This was, without a doubt, the trickier part of the plan. Once we had ammunition against Genevieve, we still had to get close enough to Carly to convince her that her mentor wasn't who she claimed. A part of me feared that Genevieve wasn't claiming anything. That she was teaching Carly to be just like her and Carly was doing so willingly. But I knew Carly better than that, I reminded myself. _Carly isn't a bad person, even if she is angry with me. She would never willingly hurt people just for power the way Genevieve would._

"We can call another meeting," I said. "Carly will come if I call, I'm sure. Besides, she said Genevieve wanted to offer me an invitation to join them. She'll try again. I just hate not having any idea where Carly is in the meantime."

"Maybe Marcus knows where she is?" Adrian suggested.

"Probably not," Ms. Terwilliger said. "Genevieve changes her location often. If Marcus has been out of the coven for awhile then I'm guessing he has about as much idea as we do."

"It's too bad she's blocking your spells otherwise you could just do that silver tray thing again," Adrian said, finally stopping on an old black and white movie I'd never seen before.

It really was annoying that any attempts to do a location spell on Genevieve or Carly were being thwarted by some sort of protection spell. Probably a more advanced version of the one Ms. Terwilliger had helped me with right after we'd realized Genevieve might be a problem. It still sat on the nightstand next to my bed, keeping my location at Amberwood guarded from anyone who might try to find me via magic. It worked well for me, but was annoying when the shoe was on the other foot.

I suddenly had an idea. Genevieve was blocking tracking spells on herself and Carly, but maybe not on the rest of her coven. "Were those guys at the warehouse... _warlocks_?" I asked, tripping over the word. It sounded so dumb when I said it out loud like that.

"Yes," Ms. Terwilliger said, lifting the cat off of her lap to turn and focus her attention on me.

"So, they'd be a part of Genevieve's coven, then?"

"Yes," she said again. "I see where you're going with this, but we'd need something of their's to track them. It doesn't matter what location spell you use, they all require either an emotional bond to the person or an item of value that belongs to them. We have neither."

"But a picture works," I said smiling.

"Yes, a picture works," she said. "If we had one. But we'd have to do the same spell we did to locate Genevieve the first time and that requires waiting for the moon to be in phase. Which it won't be for another week and a half."

"That's okay," I said. "I'm willing to wait. I don't want to go into this without covering all of my bases first."

"So what's your plan?" Adrian asked, flipping the television off finally. The bored look had faded into one of determination.

"I'm still working on it," I admitted. "But at least that's more than I had when I woke up this morning."

"How do you plan on getting a photo of the men from the warehouse, Ms. Melbourne? Or were you brilliant enough to snap a picture with your cell phone when they first walked in?" Ms. Terwilliger joked.

"I saw those guys outside of Spencer's a few days ago," I told her. "They were watching me from the street corner."

"They _what_?" Adrian asked, standing. "Two goons were following you around and you never bothered to mention it to anyone?"

I sighed. "I didn't realize they were following me. I thought I was just being paranoid. I recognized them last night and knew that Genevieve must have been keeping tabs on me. They must have seen me and Carly together last week and picked her up on her way out of town."

The thought made me feel a little nauseous. The idea of someone following me around, spying on me and my sister and then following and kidnapping her was terrifying, but I pushed that fear away and focused on my plan.

"They were standing right on the corner. I know the jewelry store next to Spencer's has security cameras outside the door, it would have picked them up standing right there. I just need to speak with the manager. I'm sure I can get a picture of them off of one of the cameras. That would work, right?"

Ms. Terwilliger nodded. "I don't see why not," she said. "A picture is a picture. As long as you can make out one of their faces. And they're in the same location as Genevieve when we cast the spell, of course."

Adrian smiled at me, rubbing his palms together in a way that almost made me laugh. "So, now we head downtown and get us a picture."

###

Adrian was mad at me.

Well, a little mad at me. He was sitting in the passenger seat staring out the window and ignoring me completely.

"I told you," I said for what felt like the thousandth time. "It's not that I don't think you can handle it, I just don't want to risk it."

He continued to pout and stare out the window. I sighed and pulled into a spot near the coffee shop. He was acting like a child because I'd told him I didn't want him to compel anyone.

He'd made a good point. It was the easiest way. We'd be in and out in a few minutes. But when I'd reached out to feel his magic, the way Ms. Terwilliger had taught me, I'd felt how much spirit darkness clouded his mind. He told me he'd been working on the spirit charm for Jill, the one that would change her appearance while we were at court. He said that that was why the darkness was a little more out of control than normal. But when I'd felt it it didn't feel "a little out of control", it felt like a churning wave of destruction waiting to crash down over his mind at any moment. I wasn't about to add to it. In fact, I'd taken a little of the darkness from him, trying to lighten the load. That may not have been the best idea though, because he hadn't spoken to me since we'd gotten in the car.

"Can you please stop acting like this and just help me when we get in there?" I asked, beginning to get irritated with the silent treatment.

"All I want is to help you," he said quietly, reaching for the door handle. "And you won't let me."

I sighed and followed him through the door of Kirkman's Boutique. As I had expected, there weren't too many customers there on a Sunday. A couple was busy milling around by the ring display and a saleswoman was watching them like a hawk, ready to swoop in and make a sale. When Adrian and I walked in a man came out of the back to help us.

"Good afternoon," he said in a faux cheery voice. "Anything I can help you with?" He gestured toward the long display counter as he spoke. He looked back and forth between us, his eyes lingering on me a moment. "Engagement rings are right over there." He pointed to where the other couple was now speaking with the saleswoman. "Jeanie can help you when she's done, if that's what you're looking for."

Engagement rings? I looked at Adrian in confusion, but he only managed to confuse me even more. He looked away from me and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking embarrassed. I swear, I caught him blushing a little, even with his pale skin. Then I realized that the guy must have meant... He thought...

"_No!_" I said, a little too loudly. The couple shopping for a ring turned around and gave me a dirty look. I couldn't seem to stop sputtering. Why did everyone think that Adrian and I were together like that?

"No. We're... I mean, I'm only _eighteen_! I mean, we're not even..." Finally, I settled for, "No. That's not what we're here for."

The guy behind the counter looked amused at my embarrassment. Once I took a closer look at him I realized that he was young, probably Adrian's age. And he was attractive. He had neatly styled blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to be set off more by his navy button up shirt and black trousers.

I stepped closer to the counter, willing the blush from my cheeks. "We noticed you have security cameras outside facing the street. If it's possible we need to see the tapes from last Sunday," I said politely.

When the guy looked at me like I was crazy, Adrian stepped in before I could explain further. "We're doing a project for our sociology class and need to count the number of orange shirts worn by pedestrians or something stupid like that. I'm really bad at listening to directions. That's why I paired up with the brainiac here." He pointed at me and winked like he was flirting, before turning back to the guy behind the counter. "I wasn't about to sit out on the corner for three hours counting shirts so I figured we could just get a tape from your manager or whatever."

"I'm the manager," the guy said, standing a little straighter than before. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you. My boss would fire me if I let someone see the security tapes."

I was taken back by Adrian's sudden plan, but maybe I could make it work. "Just the outside camera," I said. "We really need to get this project done. It's important. We wouldn't ask otherwise."

Something in the manager's eyes faltered for a moment and he looked like he might say yes, but then he shook his head. "I wish I could help, I do. I had a teacher in college who made us stand outside for five hours surveying everyone who walked by. It sucked. But I can't. I'd lose my job."

I rushed to find a way to reason with him, but couldn't think of a single excuse that would convince someone to put their job on the line. Not for a couple of college kids looking for an easy way out. Adrian had totally botched my plan! I'd planned on telling him we were with the police department and needed the tapes for evidence. I wasn't sure if it would have worked, but it had a better chance then this.

"Sir, please listen," I started, desperately, but Adrian grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the doors.

"Forget it, Skyler," he said. "This guy's a douche. We'll just make up the numbers like I said in the first place."

The young manager opened his mouth to speak, but Adrian was already pulling me away. I was so caught off guard by his words that I let him drag me right out the door. _Did he just call me Skyler?_

"What are you doing?" I demanded once we were back inside the car. "I had a plan and you ruined it!"

Adrian rolled his eyes and looked at me like I was being dumb. "Your plan was to convince him to give us the tapes," he said slowly. "That's what I'm doing."

"How?" I asked, incredulously. "He looked like he was going to cave! I just needed a little more time, but no! You had to be rude to him and then drag me out. And we still don't have what we need!"

"Relax, Sage," he said, leaning back in his seat. "You wouldn't let me compel him and I could tell he was going to be stubborn about it. It was in his aura. He was too afraid to say yes. But I saw something else in his aura that was pretty interesting. It gave me an idea, and if you'll just drive me back to my apartment, I can get started on Phase 2."

I shook my head. "Are you going to fill me in on Phase 2, maybe? Or maybe what Phase 1 was? And why did you call me Skyler in there?"

Adrian laughed like I was being cute. "First rule of espionage, Sage. Don't use your real name. Plus, Skyler sounds badass." His smile turned into a smirk as he looked me up and down. "And hot."

"So your plan is for the only guy who can help us to think we're lazy college students and that my name's Skyler. I understand now. It makes perfect sense," I said sarcastically.

"Just listen, will you," he said. "That guy in there isn't more than twenty-two and he was totally into you–"

"How do you know that?" I demanded skeptically, but I could feel my blush rising.

"Sage, really. A guy can tell when another guy is checking out his girl. Anyway," Adrian said getting back to the matter at hand, like him calling me "his girl" was nothing at all. Since I wasn't sure what to do with that newfound information, I put it on the back burner for now. "While he was checking you out I was watching his aura," Adrian continued. "He won't give up the goods if we rationalize with him. He's scared for his job, it's understandable. But guys do pretty stupid things when it comes to girls and if a pretty blonde college student comes strolling in?" He shrugged. "He'll give you the tape, I'm sure of it. You'll come back later—alone, or so he'll think—apologize for me being such an asshole, flirt a little and he'll give you what you want."

"This is a stupid plan," I said. "How am I supposed to convince him later if I couldn't convince him now?"

"It's all a part of the plan. Trust me."

I raised my eyebrows and gave him a look. "You're way too into this, you know."

He just laughed. "It's fun, Sage! I haven't gotten into any mischief in a while. I've been trying to be good for the pretty blonde." He winked again and this time I laughed.

"Fine, whatever," I said, giving in. I pulled out of the parking spot and headed back to Adrian's place. "So how'd you come up with that sociology thing, anyway?" I asked. "It was quick and smart."

He hesitated a moment, looking embarrassed, and I almost thought he wouldn't answer when he cleared his throat and said, "From the first time I went to college. Sociology was required for all freshman. The professor had us do all kinds of stupid projects like that. Social experiments, she'd called them. It was the only thing I could think of."

I was quiet for a while, thinking about what that must have been like. Going to college was something I could never have dreamed of doing, but Adrian had thrown it away so easily. He wasn't bothering with the required classes at Carlton, only taking a few art courses. What would it be like to have a professor who wanted you to perform social experiments for homework? It sounded fascinating.

"You're still thinking about the sociology thing, aren't you?" Adrian asked a few minutes later, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Kind of," I admitted, turning onto the road that would lead us to Adrian's apartment building. "Why aren't you taking any academic courses at Carlton?"

I hadn't meant to ask. I'd been wondering, but I hadn't meant to say it out loud. I knew academia wasn't something Adrian seemed very fond of, aside from learning random facts and trivia from me.

"School and I never really got along very well. I barely remember any of that class. It was in the morning and I was usually too hungover to pay much attention. If I even bothered to show up," he muttered.

"That was then. You've changed, remember? You attend your art classes. I think you could handle an academic class if you wanted." I pulled into the spot in front of Adrian's apartment, behind his Mustang, and turned off the ignition.

Adrian made no move to get out of the car, instead he leaned his head against the back of his seat and looked at me. There was a curious look in his green eyes. "You really believe I could be more than a college dropout living off of his father's money, don't you? That I could make something of myself?"

"You can be anything you want," I said, seriously. "All you have to do is try." I turned in my seat, mimicking his position so I could look him in the eyes. "You're the most talented, capable person I've ever met. I'm sorry that no one's ever told you that before."

Adrian's face melted and I watched him bite his lip to keep from saying something. He seemed to be debating something with himself. Finally, he said, "You can be anything you want, too, you know. Once you get away from the Alchemists, you can have anything you want. I'll give you anything you want. College, cars. We could go to Italy or Greece. You name it."

Adrian had that desperate look in his eyes, the same look he'd had the day he'd kissed me in his apartment for the first time. The look that made me think spirit might be effecting him. I knew in my heart his words were the truth, one hundred percent. He'd take me anywhere, give me anything I asked for. But something about his demeanor was off just enough for me to suspect spirit. I reached out again and felt for his magic. It was still there, the spirit, churning inside of him like the sea before a storm.

"Sage," he said, warningly, and I pulled back without taking any of his spirit darkness with me.

"How's the spirit charm going?" I asked. "Almost finished?"

He nodded, wearily. "Yeah. It'll be ready by the time we leave Friday."

"Have you been drinking at all?" I asked as cautiously as possible. I didn't want to get him mad again. His mood swings could give me whiplash at times.

"I can't," he said, looking away. "It'll suppress my magic."

I reached over and put my hand on his cheek, turning him to face me once again. "I know, but you have to take care of yourself, too. Isn't that what you keep telling me?"

He smiled a little and said, "You're quite a contradiction, Sage. You want me to go to college and make something of myself one minute, then you want to get me drunk the next."

"You know what I mean," I said, refusing to go along with the light tone he was trying to set. "The drinking helps with spirit. I can feel how strong it is, Adrian. Don't try to hide it from me. I just want you to be healthy and if drinking keeps you healthy than that's fine by me. I know you who you are, Adrian. You don't have to prove anything to me."

He watched me with that look of awe in his eyes for another few moments before sitting up to get out of the car. Once he was on the sidewalk he leaned back in. The look was gone, but he seemed lighter somehow. Like some great weight was just taken off of his shoulders. "Meet me back here at four o'clock," he said. "I'll have everything we need to seduce Jewelry Store Guy."

"What will we need?" I asked, feeling alarmed and a little confused, but Adrian just smiled wickedly and closed the door.

###

Later, when I arrived back at Adrian's apartment I noticed his car wasn't parked out front anymore. It was now in the back, meaning Adrian had gone out since I'd left. I had been curious about Phase 2 of his plan since I'd dropped him off, but now I was getting worried. I knew he wanted me to go into the jewelry store and seduce someone. But not only was seduction not on the list of skills I possessed, I was also afraid I'd end up making myself look like an idiot in front of Adrian.

He opened the door when I knocked, immediately handing me a purple shopping bag, the kind you get at the mall. "Go change into that," he said, closing the front door behind me. "We need to get back there before he leaves for the night."

"How do you know he'll be alone? What if that woman's still there?" I asked, staring at the bag in my hands with uncertainty.

"He's the manager," Adrian said. "There's, like, an eighty percent chance he closes up alone after everyone else leaves."

I peered into the bag, but wrapping paper hid whatever he'd purchased for Phase 2. I felt my heartbeat speed up and not in a good way. My palms were starting to feel damp. "Adrian, why don't we just wait until he leaves and then break in? That would be easier, wouldn't it? And I know you're not morally opposed to breaking and entering or anything."

He smirked at me. "It's nice to know I found a girl who shares my interests, but breaking and entering will take too long, and we'll most likely get caught. I'm guessing the Alchemists will wonder what you were doing breaking into a jewelry store and stealing their surveillance tapes."

I sighed, desperately trying to think of a way out of this. Finally, I settled on going through with the plan, but I wasn't wearing whatever he bought me. I shoved the bag back into his hands and told him I would wear what I had on.

"Absolutely not," he said without hesitation.

He'd said it so fast and with such certainty that I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a white blouse and a navy blazer on top.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked, offended.

"There's nothing wrong with what you're wearing," he said, deadpan. "If you work at a doctor's office."

"_Excuse_ me?" I'd spent a lot of money on this outfit, not to mention a few more minutes than normal in front of the mirror this morning making sure I looked put together and not like I'd been crying all night.

"You look cute," Adrian assured me, his green eyes taking in my outfit with approval. "You always look cute in whatever you wear, Sage. You're beautiful. But you need to look drop dead sexy right now. You need to make this guy's tongue roll out of his mouth like he's a cartoon wolf."

"What?" I asked, confused by his simile. He ignored my question.

"Just put the dress on," he said. "Trust me, it will work."

I sighed and grabbed the bag back from him, rummaging through it as I walked to his bathroom. I took a deep breath and pulled a piece of fabric from the purple bag. It was black and soft. Silk. Expensive. I pulled it all the way from the bag and held it out in front of me. It looked more like a shirt than a dress.

"Adrian!" I cried, turning back toward the living room. "This is _way_ too small. It won't fit."

He rolled his eyes. "It'll fit just fine. It's a size four. Now stop stalling. We're burning daylight here!"

I huffed and turned back around. I was halfway down the hall before I turned back, completely mortified and enraged. There'd been something else at the bottom of the bag.

"You bought me a _bra_?" I shouted, incredulously, as I held up the lacy pink item in his direction.

He didn't even have the decency to look abashed. He stared right back at me, completely calm as he said, "Not just any bra, Sage. A WonderBra." Then he smirked.

My mouth fell open and I started to sputter, but no words came out.

"Just trust me on this, Sydney," he said quickly, holding his hands up in front of him, clearly anticipating my impending spontaneous combustion.

"You have no right!" I finally managed.

"We'll talk about rights later, okay? _Right now_ just go change."

I wasn't happy, but he was right about one thing. We didn't have time to argue. That store would be closing up soon and we needed to get there before it did. I started for the bathroom again, before spinning around once more. The question would just bug me until I finally asked him.

"How did you know my size?" I said.

"Jill told me," he explained, simply. "And it wasn't exactly rocket science to guess your bra size, was it?"

I glared at him, wanting nothing more than to throw the stupid bra at his face, but now wasn't the time. I stuffed it down into the bottom of the bag, swearing that I wouldn't wear it. It was too personal. He shouldn't have bought it. But as I changed, I couldn't help but wonder if I was being ridiculous. It was just a bra, after all. I owned plenty of them.

_Adrian had probably taken off more bras than I'd ever own._

That thought didn't thrill me, but it meant he probably knew what he was talking about. Maybe I could try it on. What could it hurt, right?

After I changed into it, I had to stop and admire Adrian's taste. He hadn't just bought me a push-up bra, although it was certainly doing plenty of that, he'd bought me a beautiful piece of lingerie. It was a pale rose colored lace that was only a few shades darker than my skin. It was still such an intimate gift, though, even if he purchased it under the guise of necessity. I wasn't sure how that made me feel about him, but I did know how it made me feel about _me_. I felt beautiful and sexy in it, and I knew that that must have been Adrian's true goal. And if I felt sexy, maybe I'd be able to act sexy.

The dress _was_ tight, very tight, but Adrian was right, it did fit. Perfectly. It had capped sleeves and a square neckline that showed off everything my new bra had put on display, but while still managing to look tasteful. The silk formed to the shape of my body, making the few curves I did have more pronounced than I was used to. And it was short. It barely reached mid-thigh, which made me very uncomfortable. I kept trying to pull the hemline down as I made my way back out to the living room.

"_Finall_–" Adrian turned around and gasped mid-word when he saw me. I looked down quickly to make sure nothing was popping out, before looking back up at him confused. His mouth was open slightly and his eyes were wide and roaming all of my newly exposed skin.

"You're gorgeous," he breathed.

I blushed, feeling every inch of exposed skin heat at his words. At the look in his eyes.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he mumbled. He gestured vaguely toward the bathroom with one hand, but couldn't seem to pry his eyes off of my chest. "Go put your other bra back on."

"Adrian!" I complained, crossing my arms over my chest to impede his view. "You were the one who bought this, you don't get to change your mind now. Besides, we don't have time. We need to go and you still have to tell me what to do once I get there. I don't know how to seduce someone."

"You won't have to do anything," he said, finally pulling his gaze up to meet my eyes. "As long as you're wearing that," he pointed toward my body, but didn't look down, "there isn't a man on this planet who wouldn't do anything you asked him to. But," he hesitated. "I hate to say this. I don't like the idea of you anywhere near someone else, but... You'll have to flirt a little."

"Right," I said. "Because I'm so good at that."

"You'll be fine." Adrian smiled. "You flirt with me all the time."

I huffed. "Yeah, but most of the time I don't even realize I'm doing it."

"Most of the time?" he asked, his green eyes blazing.

I felt my face turning bright red and uncrossed my arms. "What am I supposed to do?" I asked. "I can't act

the way I do around you. I don't know him."

"First off, find out his name, then find a reason to touch him." He reached out and lightly ghosted his fingers up my arm. "Like this. Laugh a little while you're doing it. Giggle, it means you're interested."

His fingers trailed back down my arm, sending a shiver through me. Up. Down. Up. Down.

Up.

"Maybe lick your lips every so often. You need to draw his attention away from what you're asking him to do and get him to focus on how you're asking it."

Down.

He pulled his hand back, much to my disappointment, and hesitated again. I'd never seen him so indecisive before. He was usually the king of jumping into things head first. Charging forward, guns blazing, so to speak. But right now, he looked truly upset. Like he regretted this plan already. He glanced down at my chest and sighed, but nodded appreciatively. "Those babies will get you out of any issues you have tonight."

I fought to control another blush—or maybe it was white hot rage, it was getting hard to tell the difference—but looked up at him and rolled my eyes. "That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I'll make a note to try harder from here on out," he laughed and gave me his heart stopping grin. No matter how annoying or inappropriate or immature he acted, Adrian really was breathtaking.

It was nearly five by the time we arrived back at Kirkman's and I could see someone inside wiping down the glass display cases.

Adrian grabbed my arm before I got out of the car. "I'll be out here watching," he said. "If you need anything, I'll hear you. Just in case that guy gets handsy or anything like that."

I smiled and climbed out of the car before turning back to him. "If he gets handsy, I'm pretty sure I could take him."

###

The manager's name was Roger, it turned out. And he wouldn't stop staring at my chest. So far I'd followed all of Adrian's suggestions and they'd worked perfectly.

When I'd arrived, I'd quickly discovered that Roger had already locked the door for the night, but the second he'd seen me standing outside in this short dress he'd opened right up.

"I was passing by and just wanted to apologize for my friend earlier. Jett can be such a jerk sometimes." I'd nearly rolled my eyes at myself for saying Adrian's alias out loud, but continued on. "He meant well, though. I don't know what I'll do if I fail this project."

After a few minutes of prodding—including a hand on his elbow and a giggle here and there—Roger had immediately found the tapes I'd requested, not even bothering to ask any more questions. Still, I tried to make small talk to help keep him distracted while he scanned through for the correct time code for me.

"Thank you, again," I said, watching over his shoulder as he found the approximate time I'd given him to check.

Roger turned away from the screen to face me. Uh-oh. "It's no problem, Skyler." He gave me a quick look up and down before his gaze settled back on my chest. "Have I mentioned what a lovely name that is? Skyler." The way he murmured it told me where he was going with this.

_I really need to get Ms. Terwilliger to teach me how to compel people next so I never have to do this _ever_ again._ I surprised myself with that thought. Ignoring it, and Roger's roaming eyes, I looked back at the computer screen.

"Can you go forward a little?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, distractedly. "Sure, you just hit this button here." He pressed a key on the keyboard and I watched the image on screen fly forward until I noticed a black blur.

"_Stop_," I yelled, and then in a quieter embarrassed voice, I giggled, "Please?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart." He stopped the tape, while I cringed on the inside. He was seriously falling for this act and it was making me feel awful. Roger seemed like a nice guy, I wasn't attracted to him, but he didn't deserve to be tricked.

I forgot my guilt as soon as I saw the two men on screen. I'd found what I was looking for. Genevieve's goons were standing in the center of the traffic camera's field of vision. A perfect shot of both men.

I took a deep breath and bent forward a little, hoping to keep his thoughts occupied while I asked my next question. "Can I ask you a huge favor? Can you print that image for me? It has everything I need for the project."

Roger smiled and reached for the button to print the image of the men, somehow all the while still staring at my boobs. It would have been impressive if it didn't make me feel so cheap. But I'd gotten what we needed and I hadn't resorted to controlling Roger's mind. Just his body, in a way. I still didn't feel right about it, but it was over now.

"Thank you so much." I smiled, sincerely, figuring he deserved at least that much. I folded the printed image and stuck it in my purse while heading for the door.

"Uh..." Roger said, as I reached for the handle. "Maybe, we could get coffee or something? The place next door is really good."

I smiled again, but all my guilt was back now. "I have to go, actually, but thank you for the offer. It's really... sweet." Then I pushed through the door and walked toward Latte feeling awful about myself.

When I got into the car Adrian had his seat reclined all the way back. "He's watching from the window, Sage. Wave and let's go."

I looked toward the window and, sure enough, Roger was standing there looking at me. I smiled and waved at him once before driving away.

Once we were through the intersection Adrian leaned his seat back up. "You got it?" he asked.

I nodded, but said, "I feel like a hooker."

He laughed, sounding surprised, like he hadn't been expecting me to say that. "You shouldn't," he said, completely serious, but still smiling. "You didn't do anything wrong. If you had been walking down the street that guy would have looked at you the same way. You have a beautiful body and guys are going to stare." He smirked. "It's kinda how we are. In this case, you just used that against him. I'm sorry I made you do that, though. I know you were uncomfortable."

"It's okay. I went along with it because it was a good plan," I said, giving him a quick smile before turning onto his street.

The sun had already set and it was completely dark when we walked into Adrian's apartment. I reached out to flip the lights on at the same time he did. Our fingers brushed, leaving me feeling like I'd just been zapped by the most pleasant taser in the world. Adrian must have felt something similar because he jumped back a little, before taking a slow step towards me.

It was still dark, neither of us having actually managed to turn on the lights, and when he took another step toward me, closing the door with one hand while his other grasped at my hip, I could barely make out the glint in his eyes. But I knew it was there. I knew what it meant. And I didn't care about the consequences.

He pushed my back flat against the wall and leaned in close, close enough that I could see the green of his eyes. "Sage," he whispered. His breath was warm and smelled like mints. And he'd been dropping hints about us being together all day. He'd made me blush while he called me gorgeous, while he looked at me, while he'd touched my arm...

I couldn't take anymore. I stepped into him, pressing my lips to his and wrapping my arms around his neck. Adrian sighed and pulled me closer, both of his hands on my hips, pulling me into him and causing me to arch my back as he leaned down over me.

With one hand on the small of my back he started to navigate us forward through the room, toward the couch, I thought. Once we got there he spun us around and eased me down onto my back while he crawled on top on his hands and knees, making sure to keep his weight off of me. I was pretty much beyond coherent thought at that point, but I was impressed that his lips hadn't left mine once. I ran my fingers up the back of his neck and into his hair. It was soft, even though I could feel rough patches where he'd applied styling gel.

"I've been dying to do this all night," he whispered, kissing my cheek and then my jaw and then my neck.

I threw my head back, loving the warm feeling flowing through me every time his lips made contact with my skin. "Is that because of the dress?" I somehow managed to ask.

"Mmm," he moaned, kissing the base of my throat. "No." Kiss. "It's got nothing to do." Kiss. "With the dress." Kiss. "You could take it off right now and it wouldn't make a difference."

I laughed at that. A real laugh, not the insincere, giggling kind I'd done just a few minutes earlier with Roger in the jewelry store.

Adrian looked up at me, grinning. "Hey, a guy's gotta try, right?"

I pulled him back to me, kissing him and kissing him and kissing him and I didn't want to stop. In that moment, the differences between us, the reasons we shouldn't do this, none of it mattered. The plan had worked. I'd gotten the picture we needed to track Genevieve's coven and I was happy. Adrian was kissing me and touching me and laughing and how could I be anything other than happy?

And then my phone rang, shattering it all.

The shrill beep of my ringtone felt deafeningly loud in the dark. Adrian jumped to his feet when I put my hands on his shoulders and sat up. He flipped the light switch on and picked up my purse off the floor by the door, handing it to me. I fished my phone out quickly, not caring who was on the other end, just trying to stop the noise.

"It's Rose," I whispered, looking at the caller ID.

Adrian laughed once, in surprise or irritation I wasn't sure. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look upset either. I think we might have felt the same way. Irritation at having stopped, but not irritation at having been stopped. I wasn't sure how today had turned into Adrian and I making out on his couch, but it was for the best that we'd been interrupted before we did anything we'd regret. It was. For the best. It was.

"Are you going to answer it?" Adrian asked, sitting down beside me.

I forced myself to focus on the matter at hand instead of how close he was sitting. "Yeah. I'm going to answer. I just needed a second."

He nodded, seeming to understand. He always understood. I took a breath and held the phone to my ear.

"Hi, Rose," I said, proud that I didn't sound shaky or out of breath.

"Hey, Sydney! How are you?" The second I heard her voice a completely ridiculous wave of jealousy shot through me as I pictured her doing with Adrian what I'd just been doing with him. I tamped down that emotion quickly. I had no reason to be jealous of Rose. She was with Dimitri and I knew Adrian didn't want her anymore. I wasn't sure Adrian was even the whole reason for my jealousy. Something about how happy she sounded made my chest ache and I wasn't sure why.

"I'm doing alright," I told her. Adrian smirked and I scowled at him. "How are you?"

"We're all good here. Making final arrangements for the wedding to keep everybody safe and secure."

I smiled. "How's Sonya doing? Is she nervous?"

Rose laughed. "Nervous? I wish! She's walking around here with this huge smile plastered on her face. It's on the verge of being very annoying." I heard someone say something in the background and then Rose added begrudgingly, "But cute. Lissa says it's very cute."

I looked at Adrian and we smiled at each other as if saying, _That's Rose, for you_.

"I just wanted to let you know the final arrangements for your flight," she went on. "You'll be leaving Friday at noon."

She gave me all the information I needed about the flight, then asked about the spirit charm Adrian was making. "It'll be done by Friday," I assured her.

After telling me about the security precautions they were taking—having one guardian for every two people attending the wedding was going to be the biggest one, Rose said—we said goodbye. A moment later I stood up and grabbed the purple bag that contained all of the clothes I'd changed out of before.

"I should go," I said to Adrian. I wasn't as embarrassed about kissing him as I would have thought. And I sort of wanted to do it again, but that just fueled my resolve to get out of here as soon as possible.

Adrian nodded and walked with me to the door. I'd almost expected him to try to get me to stay after everything that had happened, but he didn't. He didn't even try to kiss me goodbye, which I actually appreciated. If he had, I don't think I would have been able to leave.

"Thank you," I said, crossing the threshold into the chilly winter night. I pulled my blazer from the purple bag and put it on as I spoke. "For the dress and for the plan. That was really quick thinking."

Adrian looked pleased with the compliment, but he didn't smirk and say something witty like I had been expecting. Actually, he looked more than a little depressed. I wanted to feel for his magic again to see if spirit was effecting him, but I was certain that it would just end up leading to a fight so I didn't do it.

"Goodnight, Adrian," I said, walking backward toward Latte.

"Goodnight, Sydney," I just barely heard him whisper back.

I thought back to my morning, as I drove back to Amberwood. Just hours ago I'd had no plan, no idea how to even begin forming a plan, and what felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders. Now I had a plan, thanks to Adrian. The weight and guilt I'd felt had lifted a little, also thanks to Adrian. And now, strangest of all, I think I might have been on the verge of becoming a vampire's girlfriend.


	17. Chapter 17

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Sorry this update took so long guys. this chapter has so many quick scenes in it it took me forever before I was happy with the outcome. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but it covers all of the material I needed to get through. And you guys will love the end ;)**

**Anyway, review and let me know what you think. And also check out my other story ****_Sydrian One Shots_****. Right now there's only one chapter but there will be more, so if you haven't already, give it a shot!**

"Wait a second. You're saying Genevieve _Terwilliger_ has kidnapped your sister and is manipulating her?"

I sighed, my grip tightening on the phone in my hand. "What about 'Genevieve Terwilliger kidnapped my sister and is manipulating her' could possibly need to be repeated, Marcus?"

He'd finally called me back Monday during my math class. I'd had to ask permission to go to the restroom to take the call. Now I was standing in the girl's room whispering about an extremely sensitive topic. I'd checked all of the stalls and locked the door before answering his call but still. It unnerved me to be discussing this in a public place, and his obliviousness was only serving to annoy me.

"I'm sorry, I just... What do you expect from me?" he said, clearly confused. "Gene isn't the easiest person to get along with and we parted on... well, not the best terms. She would probably sooner skin me and feed me to her cats then talk to me."

"It's okay," I explained. "I don't need you to talk to her. I want you to talk to my sister. You know Genevieve. You can convince Carly to see reason. She's not an unreasonable person, she's just angry because I lied to her."

Marcus laughed a little, but it didn't sound like there was any humor in it. I leaned back against a stall door and braced myself for his next words. "Sydney, you don't know much about Genevieve, do you? I can tell. Because if you did, you'd never ask me to do this. You don't convince one of Gene's followers to see reason, you see them and you turn tail and run as far and as fast as you can."

What? "Marcus, she's my sister," I said. "I can't just abandon her because she was drafted into the wrong coven."

"It's not just the wrong coven, it's the worst coven. It doesn't take long for them to sway someone to their side. From the sound of it, Carly is exactly their type. They find people with hatred in their hearts, even the smallest amount, and they poke and prod at it until it's twisted into this terrible, powerful thing that Gene can use to her advantage. It's what she did with me," he added softly.

I didn't like the idea of Carly being "their type" or the idea that she could have any amount of hatred in her heart, but I couldn't deny the anger I'd seen in her Saturday night. She'd been nothing like the sweet, gentle sister I remembered growing up with. Part of that was because she felt betrayed by me and by our parents, but another part of that was the remains of what Keith had done. He'd devastated my sister in a way she'd never healed from and, when I thought about it, he could have left a decent amount of hatred in Carly's heart. She deserved to hate him, but Genevieve was using that hate as ammunition to mold Carly into what she wanted her to be. To me, that seemed nearly as violating as what Keith had done. But I knew Carly wouldn't see it that way. Genevieve wouldn't let her see it that way.

"How long did you know her?" I asked Marcus. "Genevieve, I mean?"

There was a pause and then, "A few years. She was one of the witches who trained me. I learned a lot from her. She's one of the most talented witches I've ever met, but she's batshit crazy. Trust me when I say, she's not going to let you have your sister back. Not unless you give her what she wants, and then she'll just keep the both of you. Two-for-one special kind of thing, you know?"

Someone walked up and jiggled the handle on the restroom door. I held my breath, waiting for them to walk away.

"Sydney?" Marcus said. "You there? Sydney?"

Finally, after a moment, the footsteps receded, but I was now worried that whoever it was would come back with a teacher with a key. "I'm here. Will you meet me?" I asked, hurriedly. "Tomorrow? The day after? Please."

"Of course," he said right away and I nearly sighed in relief. "Can't really discuss this properly over the phone, anyway. This is bigger than you and your sister though, Sydney."

I didn't know what that meant, but I'd agreed to meet with him on Wednesday afternoon. He wanted to meet with Ms. Terwilliger and I'd told him I'd discuss it with her and get back to him about it.

I spent the rest of my school day worrying over Marcus's words. _This is bigger than you and your sister. _It was vague and cryptic and just foreboding enough to scare me.

Once I was safely in Ms. Terwilliger's office I asked her if Marcus and I could set up a meeting at her house. I was worried she might say no, not wanting anyone who used to work with her sister in her house, but she smiled serenely and agreed to meet with him. "Besides, if he is going to double cross us, I'd rather have home field advantage," she laughed.

"Do you think he might?" I asked seriously. I had been worrying about it. What if Marcus was just pretending not to be aligned with Genevieve anymore. He was awfully secretive about his life, other than what related to the Alchemists. And what about Ms. Terwilliger? Maybe she was a secret informant for Genevieve as well. She could be feeding her all kinds of information about me. It was just that everyone around me seemed to be linked to Genevieve in someway and I–

No. I was being ridiculous and I knew it. I was getting more and more paranoid by the second. I shook off all of my crazy conspiracy theories and focused on Ms. Terwilliger, whom I trusted not to betray me.

"I don't think so, but it doesn't hurt to make sure. As far as I've heard, Marcus split from my sister's coven last year. They had some... ethical differences. Genevieve wasn't very happy with his decision to leave. Tried to stop him. That sounds trustworthy enough for me."

I texted Marcus her address after that, not wanting to waste any time.

"You know, Miss Melbourne," Ms. Terwilliger said as class ended for the day. "You're going to need more practice. I want you at my house everyday after school and the weekends. We don't have long and you're going to need to be strong if you're going to fight for your sister."

"I'm actually going away this weekend," I told her. "Alchemist business. I can't really get out of it. But I'll be there every other day. I promise."

"Fine," she said. "We'll start tomorrow, then. Make sure you bring your _brother_ with you."

###

As I walked back to the dorms my phone beeped. It was a notification reminding me to make sure everyone had everything for the trip to Court on Friday. I brushed aside all of the worries about Carly and Genevieve and Marcus and focused on my alchemist duties. I might have some issues with the Alchemists, but I still worked for them, I still had a vital role to play in keeping Jill safe. Even if at the moment that role was making sure they all had appropriate attire to wear to Sonya's wedding. Honestly, the idea of handling such a simple task eased some of the stress I'd been feeling. I sent a quick text to Jill asking her and the others to meet me by the girl's dorms.

They were waiting for me by the time I got there. Students wandered in and out of the dorms, most congregating in the lobby. Eddie and Jill sat together on a bench outside, while Angeline leaned against the railing surrounding a small decorative garden next to them. She smiled when she saw me walking up.

"Is everything okay?" Eddie asked, standing up when I stopped in front of them.

I smiled. "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you guys had everything you need for the trip. I know we should probably go shopping. We'll all need something nice to wear at the wedding."

Jill, who usually brightened up at the prospect of shopping, fixed her green gaze on the ground. I was immediately suspicious, but Eddie spoke up before I could say anything.

"Sure, that'd work. I need to get a suit." He smiled at Jill. "And Jill was just saying how we should get Sonya and Mikhail a wedding present."

I grinned and pulled out my phone, adding a note to my To Do list. "I didn't even think about that. Yes. Get Sonya a wedding gift." I smiled at Jill. "Good catch. I've never actually been to a wedding before, but I'm pretty sure it would have been a major _faux pas_ to show up without a gift for the bride and groom."

Jill peeled her eyes from the concrete and smiled shyly at me. "They wouldn't have cared. Everyone knows how much you do for us. Sometimes you could use someone else to pick up some of the slack."

I nodded gratefully, but something was off. It was like those times when Adrian's mood had affected her. Now all I needed was for her to start complimenting my uniform or my haircut and this attack of spirit would be complete.

Thankfully she didn't do either of those things. Instead, she shook herself out of whatever sort of mood she'd been in and stood. "Adrian needs a suit, too," she said. "I don't think he'll want to stop by his house at Court and risk seeing his dad just to pick one up."

"I'll call him and see what he's doing," I said, already scrolling through the contacts on my phone.

"No!" Jill cried. "I'll do it. He's not doing anything right now, I'll just text him to meet us downtown. You go change so we can go."

I gave her a look, trying to figure out what was wrong, because something was obviously up with her, but gave up quickly, deciding it must be spirit. Adrian was still working on the spirit charm and I hoped he'd been drinking a little to help with the side effects, but knew that he'd probably wait until the charm was complete before he'd start. Maybe I could help him out a little when I saw him.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the thought of seeing Adrian and I rushed up to my room to change.

A half hour later we were in downtown Palm Springs, waiting for Adrian to meet us at an outdoor cafe before going shopping. There were a few small boutiques on this street and we could easily walk between them, looking for our formal outfits. Lia DeStefano's shop was just a few stores down on the other side of the street and I caught Jill eyeing it as we waited.

I leaned across the table we were sitting at to get her attention. "Do you know what sort of dress you want?" I asked.

Jill fingered the wrought iron table top and shrugged. "I don't know," she said noncommittally.

Angeline smiled brightly, spinning her styrofoam coffee cup in her hand. "I've never been to a formal wedding. The Keepers don't dress up or anything, there's just..." she trailed off, looking embarrassed. "They have some traditions, but nothing like dressing up. We all just wear our regular clothes."

I remembered Angeline trying to fight Rose when we'd stayed with the Keepers. It had started due to Angeline's brother wanting to marry Rose, or something like that. If that was the Keepers idea of an engagement party, I could only assume what the actual wedding would be like. I sort of wanted to ask, but Angeline looked embarrassed enough so I didn't.

"We'll find something really nice for all of us," I said. "Something that will help you blend in, but will also give you ease of movement if it's necessary, alright?"

Angeline smiled again, her embarrassment replaced by excitement. I felt a little bad for her. I understood why she was embarrassed, but she shouldn't be. Yes, she'd been raised in a backwoods sort of way. She'd grown up living in shacks and caves because her people had fought for their right to have interracial relationships. I didn't want Adrian and I to end up that way, spurning society in order to be together, but I had to admit, I sort of respected the Keepers for their unwavering beliefs. It must have been a hard decision, leaving comfortable society to live in the woods. I knew that if Adrian and I ever made our relationship known publicly we'd have more enemies than advocates, knew that it would forever be an uphill battle. So the idea that the Keepers managed it, albeit in a less than stellar fashion, was still heartening. At least someone out there understood that love was worth fighting for, even if it went against conventional beliefs.

Jill suddenly shot out of her seat and rushed passed me, throwing her arms around Adrian, who'd just walked up behind us. My heartbeat sped up a little at the sight of him. He looked good in a black leather jacket and jeans. His hair was styled so that it fell over his forehead just so. I thought about how it had felt last night slipping between my fingers, of the way it felt rougher in the places he'd used gel. I wanted to run my fingers through it again.

"What's up, Jailbait?" he asked, pulling back. He watched her for a second and she shook her head. Answering some message, I realized, passing through the bond between them. He frowned slightly before shifting his attention to the rest of us.

His eyes met mine and he smiled sadly, almost wistfully, before breaking out in a full on grin. "You need another gallon of coffee before we go, Sage? Or may the shopping commence?"

I looked back at my own styrofoam cup, frowning. It was a large, but it wasn't absurdly big.

"Come on," Adrian said, grabbing for the cup. "I'll carry it if it's too heavy." I swatted his hand away and stood up.

"I think I can handle it," I laughed. I was glad that he was in a better mood than I'd first thought. The way Jill was acting along with the sad smile he'd given me had put me on edge, but he seemed fine now. "You guys should head over to the men's store while we shop for dresses. When we're done we'll go out to dinner or something."

"Sounds good to me," Eddie said. He scanned the street once before nodding to Adrian to follow him.

Adrian turned back to me, smirking. "I'm not sure any of these stores make dresses out of khaki, Sage, but they must have something in neutral for you."

I started to form a retort, but Jill stepped in before I could reply. "She's not wearing neutral to a wedding," she said seriously, pushing him in the direction of the men's clothing shop. "Sydney's going to look amazing in her new—_colorful_—dress. Just make sure you look equally as good in your suit!"

"I always look good," Adrian said, sounding offended as he followed Eddie into a store. "It takes too much effort for me to not."

Once they were gone Jill turned around to face me, biting her lip and looking as guilty as she had back at Amberwood. "Uh... Sydney? There's something I need to tell you."

"What?" I asked, seriously at a loss for what she could have to feel guilty about.

"Well, you see, I sort of already ordered the dresses." She scrunched up her face, waiting for me to explode in anger. "From Lia."

"What?" I demanded. "I thought we agreed that you were going to stay away from Lia from now on. Remember? After what she did–"

"What'd she do?" Angeline asked. I nearly forgot that I hadn't mentioned Lia publishing Jill's picture in a brochure to her or Eddie.

"Nothing," Jill said quickly. "Just a mix up that I handled." She turned to me. "I called her right after I found out we'd be going to the wedding. I figured she owed us one."

"Jill, you know how she is. She's just going to want another favor in return. She'll start begging to have you model for her again and you know why that's not possible!"

"No," she argued. "Not this time. I told her I wouldn't be modeling anymore. I even threatened to sue her if she released any..." She glanced at Angeline and then back to me. "Any photographs that may have been taken while I was modeling for her. She agreed to all of my demands pretty quickly after that. Turns out being a minor really comes in handy while using the law to blackmail someone."

I had to admit, I was kind of impressed, but I should have been the one to take care of Lia. I'd completely forgotten about the picture Lia had published of Jill. I'd been too caught up in my own personal drama to remember to do my job.

I sighed. "I'm proud of you for handling it, Jill. But it's my job to handle these things. I'm sorry I dropped the ball."

Jill put a hand on my shoulder. "I told you. It's okay to need someone else's help every once in a while. Besides, I sort of liked doing it myself. I got myself into it and I got myself out. I'm not always a defenseless princess who needs someone to fight her battles for her."

"No one ever said you were," I told her seriously and she smiled. The thought of Jill standing up for herself against Lia had my lips forming a smile of their own. "What did you say to her, anyway?"

"Oh, you know," she said. "Just some stuff I picked up from you. And the marathon of _Law and Order_ I watched with Eddie in the student lounge."

I laughed and she joined in.

"I have no idea," Angeline said, "what you two are talking about. But are we dress shopping or not?"

"Accessory shopping," Jill corrected. "I've already planned the perfect outfits for all of us, but we still need shoes and jewelry and stuff."

"Okay," Angeline said. "Although that kind of takes some of the fun out of this shopping trip."

"It'll still be plenty of fun. Besides we have to get a wedding present while we're out. That'll be fun," Jill promised, grabbing Angeline and I by the hand and pulling us into a boutique.

###

Wednesday afternoon I drove over to Ms. Terwilliger's, prepared to come up with a plan to take down Genevieve. I was nervous about the meeting with Marcus—I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but knew that he was our best chance to help my sister.

A Mustang pulled onto Ms. Terwilliger's street behind me and I felt nervous for an entirely different reason. I'd seen Adrian everyday this week, everyday since we'd kissed this weekend. But we hadn't kissed again since.

I should be happy about that. Kissing Adrian could only get us both in trouble, but I missed him. It wasn't just that he hadn't kissed me, it was that he hadn't touched me at all. Hadn't held my hand or given me that tender smile I was growing so fond of. He was being distant and it was starting to make me feel insecure. What if he'd decided he didn't really want me after Sunday night? Maybe I was a bad kisser? It's not like I had any experience with any of this.

I'd even stooped so low as to ask Jill if something was wrong. I knew spirit was giving him a problem right now and I wanted to make sure he was okay. Some emotion had flashed across her face before she'd reined it in and given me a small smile.

"He's fine," she'd said. "He just needs some space right now."

"Yeah," I'd said. "Space. Of course. That makes sense. "

But really it didn't make any sense. Nothing made any sense. It didnt make sense that he'd kissed me like that and then backed off completely. He still joked with me, he still promised me we'd help Carly, but something was wrong and I really needed to figure out what it was.

"Hey," was all we said to each other as I knocked on Ms. Terwilliger's door.

A moment later we were being ushered into the living room and two minutes later Ms. Terwilliger herded Marcus into the room the same way.

"So this is it?" Marcus asked, looking around the room. A gray cat strolled over and coiled its tail around his leg, purring, before jumping up on the couch next to me. "Just the four of us and..." His eyes swept the room again. "...Twelve cats?"

"There are more around here somewhere," Adrian said, reaching over me and grabbing the gray cat. It seemed to think it was funny to try to sit on my lap. "I think they multiply when you feed them after midnight," he said. "Like _Gremlins_."

"Gremlins multiply when you get them wet," Marcus stated. "They turn into monsters when you feed them."

Adrian stroked under the cat's chin with one finger while it purred. When he went to take his hand away the cat sunk it's claws into his pointer finger. "Ow!" Adrian scowled, placing the cat on the ground. "That, too."

"Yes, well," said Ms. Terwilliger. "If we're all done playing with my cats, can we get onto the main issue?"

We all sat down and over the next hour Marcus described what it had been like working for Genevieve. From his description she wasn't someone to be taken lightly. And what made it worse was the fact that she wasn't just trying to recruit powerful witches to her coven. No, she had an end goal in mind. One that didn't sit well with any of us.

"She wants to control everyone," Marcus explained. "All witches. Kind of the same way the Moroi are ruled by their Queen. But she doesn't want to settle for only the witches. She'd love to get the Alchemists, too. Even the Moroi if she could manage it. If she could get her hands on enough spirit users she'd be all but unstoppable."

"So," Adrian said slowly, "what it all comes down to is just some crazy witch plotting world domination?"

"Yeah, but that's not the mission statement." Marcus leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "She lures you in claiming to want to right all the world's wrongs. She trains you, lets the power go to your head. When I found out what she was really up to I left. All I wanted to do was control my magic and maybe, eventually, stop the Alchemists. Not try to take over the world. I told her it was ridiculous, but Gene is beyond reason."

"Too much power does that to you," Ms. Terwilliger said. Her tone made it sound like just another fact she'd teach about in history class, but the look in her eyes said she was troubled by her sister's actions.

I shook my head. "Look, that's terrible and all, but we can't focus on that right now." The look on Marcus's face told me he was going to argue so I hurried on. "Stopping Genevieve is important, I know that. But right now, I have to focus on my sister."

Marcus didn't put up as much of a fight as I would have thought. He nodded once. "I've been thinking about that, actually. I think that, maybe, we can convince her. I know I said it was hard convincing Gene's minions, but as soon as I heard what she was planning _I_ got out. I had just left one power-hungry cult, I wasn't about to join another."

I bit my tongue on the Alchemists being a power-hungry cult thing. I knew now what they were capable of, but I still didn't have it in me to dismiss them as evil. The Alchemists, at heart, were a group dedicated to protecting humans from evil. But their definition of evil indubitably needed adjusting, because from where I sat the Moroi were the least evil of the supernatural beings out there.

"I'm sure your sister will agree," Marcus continued. "Even if she herself isn't an alchemist, growing up in an alchemist household should be enough for her to know a power trip when she sees one. Gene isn't very subtle. I'm sure your sister will pick up on enough to make our job of convincing her simple. The challenge is going to be finding them. Gene should run the witness protection program the way she can go off grid."

I pulled out the folded photo of the two thugs I'd gotten from the jewelry store security cameras Sunday night and handed it Marcus. "Already got it covered," I said.

He blinked once in confusion before a slow grin spread across his lips. "You are quite possibly the smartest person I've ever met. This," he held up the printed photo, "is exactly how we find Gene and your sister."

I took a breath and exhaled in relief. The plan was falling into place. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on more specific plans for what would happen after we found Genevieve. And for the first time this week, I finally felt like I had a grasp on things.

###

Sometimes a plan comes together and you can just sit back and relax while everything falls into place. Other times, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong. This was one of those times.

Since we had to be at the airport by 11:00am in order to make our flight to Court, it, of course, made perfect sense that Lia DeStefano had called at 9:00am saying that she'd had to make last minute changes to the outfits Jill had commissioned for us. I'd let it go, agreeing to swing by her shop before we headed to the airport. Then I went to Adrian's only to discover he was still in the middle of packing up a painting he'd stayed up all night finishing for Sonya.

"Help me, Sage. This stupid plastic sheeting isn't big enough. I've got to get this painting wrapped so I can bring it with us."

Of course, I'd let that go, too. I'd taken a deep breath and then carefully rewrapped the canvas in a more efficient way. In the end the canvas had fit and we'd made it to the airport at 11:05am on the dot. It wasn't until we'd gone through security, dragged our bags all the way through the airport and then had to fight for a place to sit in the over-crowded terminal that I finally lost my cool. It wasn't until I heard my name called over the loud speaker—_Sydney Melrose, please come to the customer service desk_—that I'd had enough.

"Our tickets were purchased weeks ago," I argued with the woman behind the customer service counter. "Why are we having a problem?"

The red headed woman clacked her long nails over the keyboard in front of her. It was enough to grate on my already frayed nerves. "There was an error with the seating chart, miss. There were three row seats listed instead of two. The seats you were given don't exist on this plane."

"So?" I said. "What? We're just out of luck?"

"No," she said, clacking the keyboard again. "Three of you can still take this flight. The other two will have to take a later one."

"No," said a voice behind me. I spun around to see Adrian standing there. I hadn't heard him walk up. "We all fly together."

"Sir," the woman began, but I cut her off.

"He's with me," I told her, stepping aside so he could stand next to me at the counter. "And he's right. That arrangement won't work for us. We're family, traveling for a wedding. This was your error not ours. We shouldn't be faulted because someone at this airline can't read a seating chart."

The customer service woman looked vaguely annoyed, but clacked away on her keyboard once again. I knew from all of my experience traveling that anyone working in an airport always offered you the easiest solution for them first. Only if you pushed a little did they offer you a solution that worked for you.

I looked over at Adrian as we waited. I studied him, telling myself it was out of concern for him, but really, something about his nearness set me at ease. I ignored that, though, and continued my observation. He seemed okay today, free of any spirit darkness, even if I knew that that wasn't the truth. I could sense that he was still off, but hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it. At least his apartment had smelled a little like whiskey when I'd picked him up this morning. That meant he'd been trying to control his spirit some since I'd seen him yesterday at magic practice.

Compulsion had been the trick of the day, yesterday. I hadn't liked it, but I'd pushed all of my beliefs away and learned it, knowing that someday, maybe someday soon, it would help me save someone I loved. Adrian, knowing that I'd hate it, took me aside and told me that knowing a compulsion spell and using that spell were two very different things and it was up to me when and where I might use it. It made me feel better about the spell. And compelling Adrian to recite his ABC's backward while hopping on one foot had been sort of fun. But still, thinking about it now, thinking about how easy it would be to compel this woman to give us what we wanted, it made me feel a little queasy.

Soon the woman looked back up to us. "I've got five seats on the next flight to Pennsylvania. They aren't all next to each other, but it leaves at 12:30pm. Will that do?"

"It's fine," I said, grabbing the newly printed tickets when she handed them to me. Thankfully our new flight was taking off in the gate across the terminal from us so we wouldn't have to lug our bags around again and find new seats.

"Sage?" Adrian said, grabbing my arm before I could go sit down again. I turned around and let him drag me over to an empty spot near a soda machine. "Are you okay?" he asked as I leaned against the glowing side of the machine.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"You just seemed a little... overwhelmed back there."

I scoffed. "I wasn't overwhelmed. I just don't like it when stupid people do stupid things that will reflect poorly on me."

Adrian frowned. "But none of that was your fault. You didn't misread the seating chart or overbook the flight. You didn't even buy those tickets. All you did was handle the problem that was thrown at you. Thanks to you we'll only be a half hour late. That doesn't reflect badly on you. And it's certainly not a reason for you to get yourself so upset."

I shook my head, looking off toward where the others were waiting for us. "I'm not upset about the flight. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, Sage." He reached out again, to place his hand on my shoulder, but dropped it instead. "You are upset. I want to know why." When I didn't immediately answer him he took a guess. "Is it about Carly? Or is it... is it about Court?"

I looked back at him, hearing the hesitation, the uncertainty in his voice. "Why would I be upset about going to Court?"

"I don't know." He looked down before meeting my eyes again. "There are a lot of..." he shrugged skipping the word we both knew he meant, "there. I know how you feel about..."

"No," I said quickly. "It's not that." I leaned closer and lowered my voice until I was sure only he would be able to hear me and said the word he'd been unwilling to say. "Vampire prejudices are the least of my worries right now."

What I didn't say was that _he_ was probably the biggest worry I had at the moment. Sure, the situation with Genevieve and Carly was always a constant hum in the back of my mind, but there was nothing I could do about that problem right now. But knowing that Adrian and Jill were about to go back to Court was an issue. Last time they were there Jill was murdered and Adrian had brought her back from the dead. What if something else happened? What if Adrian had to help her again, or someone else? What if his mood was effected even more by being back at Court? What if spirit really was overwhelming him?

I settled for telling him my worries about Jill, avoiding mentioning the worries I had about him.

"Jill is going to be fine," he reassured me. "She's already wearing the spirit charm. No one, aside from us, can tell who she is. There's nothing to worry about."

I nodded, letting him distract me then with a trip to the Starbucks across the massive airport hallway.

It wasn't until we were being boarded that I bothered to look at our tickets. Jill, Eddie and Adrian were all seated together in coach. Angeline was back there, too, but a few rows away. But I, somehow, had snagged a seat in first class. I guess the woman at customer service had offered up any seat available just to get me out of her hair. I wasn't about to complain. We were all on the same flight, Jill was protected, and I got to have a little leg room during the trip.

As I took my seat in first class, next to an older gentleman in a business suit, my phone began to ring. I pulled it from my pocket, stunned to realize it was my mother calling. I'd assumed it would be Adrian, begging to switch seats. Again. His argument was that his long legs would cramp in coach. I'd ignored him.

"Mom? What's going on?" I answered, holding the phone to my ear. She couldn't be calling with news on Carly.

"Hi, Sydney. I just wanted to see how you were doing," Mom said in that calm, collected way she had when something was really bothering her.

"I'm doing fine," I told her. "I'm actually getting on a flight right now, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Then under her breath I heard her mutter, "I never know what's going on with you."

"It's okay. The flight's still filling up. We have a couple of minutes before I have to go," I said, feeling bad. I hated when Mom was upset, even though I knew it wasn't me she was upset with. It was a constant struggle for her to deal with my dad and the Alchemists. She hated losing her daughter to them, she'd told me so. And now she was losing Zoe, as well.

"Daddy told me about Carly coming to see you," Mom said. Only she ever referred to him as Daddy. Carly, Zoe and I had been calling him Dad since we'd been able to talk. He had just never been the daddy type. Neither had I, for that matter. "He said she must have been taken on her way back."

The calm way she was talking about Carly's kidnapping would have sounded odd to anyone else, but I knew it was Mom's way of coping. She may have been the emotional one in our family, but she'd learned a few tricks from Dad over the years. Speaking reasonably when she was afraid was one of them.

"Yeah. Has there been any progress?" I asked, curious to see what the Alchemists were doing. When I'd talked to Stanton the other day she hadn't said anything about Carly's disappearance and Dad hadn't called me back with an update.

"Not yet," Mom said. She sighed, sounding tired. "The police are still looking, but... But I don't think they're the ones who will find her."

"What do you mean?" I asked, knowing exactly what she'd meant. The human authorities weren't ever going to find Carly, magic was the only way and Mom knew it.

I briefly wondered if she was going to confess to me that she was a witch, but then she said, "Nothing. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay. I should let you go now."

I was, surprisingly, disappointed. She started to say goodbye but I interrupted her, feeling incredibly brave all of a sudden. It might have had something to do with the surge of irritation I felt at my mom for lying to me about magic all my life.

"Mom, you know that saying the 'truth will set you free'? Well, it's true. And the truth might be the only thing that will help set Carly free." I earned a strange look from the man next to me for that remark, but I ignored him and said goodbye to my mother. She seemed a little shaken by my comment, but didn't say anything. She simply told me she loved me and hung up.

###

The flight was smooth so far and I was trying to read a book for my English class. We were supposed to read Shakespeare's _Macbeth_, but since I'd already read it in English I was reading a German translation this time around.

It wasn't long after the pilot had turned off the seatbelt sign that I heard Adrian's voice murmuring to the man next to me. "I have a seat back in coach that I'll trade you. It's much nicer back there anyway. You'll enjoy it."

I was annoyed to see the man stand with a dazed look in his eyes and walk back towards Adrian's seat in the back of the plane. I let it go the second Adrian sat down next to me and took the book out of my hands. I wasn't sure why, but something about the way he did it felt intimate and wasn't that what I'd been wanting from him all week? An intimate gesture? I was willing to settle for one as immature as him stealing my book to get my attention.

He stretched his legs out in the space in front of him, taking up some of my leg room while he was at it. "Ah. This is so much better. What person above the age of six can fly coach without developing blood clots in their legs from the lack of circulation?"

I started to say that you can't develop blood clots from lack of circulation, especially not after a four hour flight, but didn't think it would be helpful. He wasn't concerned with the blood flow in his legs, just the comfort of being able to stretch.

A flight attendant came by pushing a beverage cart down the aisle. She stopped beside us, glancing from Adrian to me and then back to Adrian. "Can I get you anything, sir?"

Adrian smiled at her and then turned to me. "You want anything, Sage?"

I told him I was fine and he proceeded to order a few mini bottles of alcohol. All vodka.

"I'm not really supposed to give you more than one bottle," the flight attendant simpered, but then took three bottles out of the cart and handed them to him anyway. "So our little secret, okay?" She even winked at him.

I looked at her more closely, feeling that now annoyingly familiar sensation of jealousy seeping through me. She was very pretty. Long blonde hair, wide brown eyes. And she was thin. She probably modeled on the side. She definitely had the body for it. I thought back to the bagel Adrian had convinced me to eat in the airport with a disgusted sigh. I bet this girl didn't have an overprotective vampire trying to cram food down her throat at every turn.

_Although she apparently wants one_, I thought as I took in the way she batted her eyes at Adrian as she pushed the cart down the aisle.

Slipping the mini vodka bottles in his pocket, he leaned back in the seat he'd hijacked. He flipped a couple of pages in my book before closing it and looking at the cover. "This isn't in English," he said. I couldn't tell if he sounded impressed or confused.

"It's German," I replied, taking the book back from him and setting it down on the tray table in front of me. "It's a translation of _Macbeth_."

"_Macbeth_. That's Shakespeare," he said. "Isn't Shakespeare hard enough to understand in English? You wanted an extra challenge or something?"

"Or something," I laughed. "What else was I supposed to do for a four hour flight?"

Adrian smiled at that and reached out to take my hand in his, threading his fingers through mine. "I've got a few ideas about that," he smirked.

The small shockwaves running through my body from where our hands connected us were giving me a few ideas of my own. Most of them had to do with replicating the scene on his couch Sunday night. In the end, I wasn't brave enough to kiss him, but I did squeeze his hand and say, "I missed you."

He looked amused, but I could see a little bit of stunned shock under that amusement. "I know it seems like I was sitting back in coach for hours, but it wasn't that long, Sage. Even if my joints disagree." He stretched his knees out as if to make his point, trying to straighten them as best he could in the still confined space.

I smiled at his joke, but inside I was thrumming with anxiety as I said my next words. "I meant this whole week. I know we've seen each other everyday, but still, I've missed you." I lowered my voice. "You were a little off this week and you seem better now. I'm glad. You were sort of... distant."

"Was I?" he asked, but he didn't sound surprised. He was looking at the back of the chair directly ahead of him.

"Yes. And it... I didn't like it. I hated it, actually," I admitted, knowing we needed to have this conversation at some point. Why not here on this plane? At least, no one would overhear us, or interrupt.

"You did?" Now he sounded a little surprised. He even turned to study my reaction.

"Of course," I told him. "After... after Sunday night, I thought..."

"You did?" he asked again, this time sounding both surprised and gentle at the same time.

"Yes," I answered, squeezing his hand again. He rewarded me with a tight squeeze of his own. And a huge, toothy smile that I rarely saw from him. He was smiling so wide I could see his fangs protruding from beneath his lips, just a little. To my own surprise, it didn't bother me.

"I thought you were upset," he said, still smiling. "I thought I'd pushed you again and you were going to pull away. I thought you wanted some space."

"No!" I almost laughed. "Jill said _you_ needed space."

"Because I couldn't control myself around you," he explained. "It was too much, my feelings for you mixed with spirit. I didn't trust myself not to push you even more. I didn't want to scare you off."

Suddenly his behavior the past week was making a strange kind of sense. I'd assumed it was entirely because of spirit, but it had also been him trying to distance himself from me. He'd been trying to respect my wishes. I had, after all, told him that we couldn't be together right now.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "After everything I've put you through, it makes sense. You keeping your distance from me."

"What are you talking about?" Adrian asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"After I left, that day in your apartment. The way I stomped out of there, like a frightened child."

"That wasn't your fault," Adrian said, pulling my hand into his lap. "I kissed you knowing full well you weren't ready for it. I just couldn't help myself. You had every right to leave that day."

I closed my eyes briefly, remembering the way he'd watched me leave from his doorway and feeling awful. "But I hurt you... I broke your heart."

"You freaking out and leaving wasn't what broke my heart, Sage," he said. He looked away, his eyes studying my hand in his as he trailed his thumb along my knuckles.

"It wasn't?" I asked, quietly.

He shook his head slightly, still looking at our intertwined fingers. "It was... It was that you said you didn't choose me."

I thought back to that night, when I'd said that and he'd looked at me like he didn't believe me. He turned my hand over and ran his fingertips over my palm, sending shivers down my spine, but, still, he refused to meet my eyes.

"No one's ever chosen me, Sydney. No one's ever wanted me for anything. No one. Not my parents, not the people they hired to take care of me, not my teachers, not Rose. They've all got something better waiting for them. No one's ever really cared enough to want me for more than a night or two. So when you said that, when you chose the Alchemists over me, even though they treated you like crap, it killed me inside. I was mad at you for being so blind. But mostly I was mad at myself for not being good enough for you."

"No," I cried, pulling my hand from his so I could turn his face towards me. "Oh, Adrian, that's not what it was. I never thought you weren't good enough for me. I wanted you, too, I just didn't realize it until after you'd kissed me. I freaked out and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

The look in his green eyes was hopeful and I felt an odd excitement course through me as I decided on my next words. This was it, there was no pretending anymore.

I leaned close to him, still holding his face in my hands. "Because I do choose you, Adrian. I'll always choose you."

Adrian seemed shocked by my declaration. His eyes were wide and I could see that look in them I loved so much. That awe that simultaneously broke my heart and made me feel like I was flying. I didn't think, I just closed my eyes and leaned closer, closing the gap between us.

There was no hesitation. His lips were just as soft and warm as they had been the other night. His hands moved to my waist to pull me closer to him. It was uncomfortable in the small seats of the plane, even in first class, but I was too far gone to care.

My hands were all over him. On his shoulders, in his hair, running down his chest. He wasn't a fighter like Eddie or Dimitri, or even very athletic, but his muscles felt hard beneath my fingers. Strong. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself get lost in the feel of him.

I loved the way this felt. The fire burning inside of me at his touch, the way my lips tingled from his kisses. The utter rightness of his body next to mine.

I ran my hand down his back, tracing his spine with my fingers. He sighed against my lips, and then I felt his tongue confidently dart into my mouth. I hadn't done this with Brayden. We'd kissed, but it was never this intense. Never this passionate. Even the other kisses I'd shared with Adrian hadn't been like this. They'd all been intense, but this was different. This was a bond forging between us, a promise being made, a claiming of each other. Somehow my tongue sought Adrian's out, wrapping around his like it'd been doing this forever, and Adrian responded. The sensation was incredible. This was why everyone went on and on about how great kissing was. This was what Julia and Kristin, even Jill and Angeline, meant when they talked about how much fun making out was. Kissing Adrian in his apartment the other night had been fun, but this was even better.

As my tongue mimicked his, exploring his mouth the way he explored mine, I brushed against one of his fangs. A few months ago I would have freaked out and possibly even screamed in terror at the thought of touching a vampire's fang, but now I only traced its shape with the tip of my tongue, intrigued by its length and sharp edges. Adrian moaned and took control of the kiss, pressing me back in my seat.

"Excuse me?"

My brain didn't really register the intrusion, I was too caught up in the moment, but Adrian sighed and pulled away. His forehead was still touching mine, not yet turning to see who was trying to get our attention. Our eyes were locked on each other, neither of us willing to leave our happy, little bubble just yet. Adrian was breathing heavily and I was surprised by how smug I felt at that. I probably shouldn't have felt that way. I probably should have felt disgusted, or at least terrified by what I'd just done. Instead I felt... satisfied. A month ago I'd been completely baffled by hand holding and now I was kissing well enough to leave Adrian Ivashkov breathless, and I liked it.

A lot.

"Excuse me," the voice said again, sounding annoyed that we hadn't pulled our attention away from each other yet.

I finally looked up to see the flight attendant from before. She was scowling down at us.

"I'm sorry," she said, not sounding very sorry at all. "I'm going to have to ask you to be a little more discrete. You're making the other passengers uncomfortable."

Adrian looked annoyed for a split second before smiling brilliantly at the girl. "It's okay. We're not bothering any–"

"It's okay, it won't happen again," I said, interrupting him before he could compel her. I smiled at the girl, who nodded briskly and turned away.

Adrian leaned back in his seat and looked at me. "I would've taken care of it. Everyone sitting around us is already sleeping," he said in a low voice, gesturing to the older couple in the next row over and the business men snoring in front of us. "She was just jealous."

I rolled my eyes. "How do you know that? I wouldn't appreciate it if I had to watch people making out while I was at work, either."

"Well, technically, you are at work right now, and you're the one making out," he whispered, leaning forward again.

"No," I said, turning my head away. "It's disrespectful. I can't believe I even did that in the first place. We're in public."

When I'd been with Brayden I'd thought that he could stand to be a little more reckless with his affection in public, but with Adrian I was worried I was going to have to make sure we weren't too reckless. With Adrian I nearly lost my mind every time he was close. I could just imagine how far that kiss would have gone if the flight attendant hadn't interrupted us.

Adrian stroked my cheek and made me look at him again. He was smirking at me. "At least you've downgraded it from wrong to just disrespectful." His expression melted and he smiled softly. "We were both caught up in the moment. It's understandable, we just started dating. It's allowed." He leaned forward and kissed my lips once before sitting back and pulling the SkyMall magazine from the back of the chair in front of us.

"Who said we were dating?" I asked, blushing.

"You did," he smirked. "When you said you wanted me. I'm not easy, you know. Regardless of what people might say about me, I expect to be taken out to dinner and a movie first."

I laughed and pretended to be shocked, a little less embarrassed by his banter. "Well, if I'd have known you were so high maintenance I wouldn't of–"

Adrian dropped the magazine in his lap and kissed me again, cutting me off mid-sentence. His lips were firm and demanding and I almost forgot the flight attendant's warning. I pulled away sooner than I would have liked, but Adrian seemed just as happy to talk as kiss.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, watching me carefully as he waited for my answer.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'm sure. If the Alchemists found out we were even friends they'd send me away forever. Really, what's the difference if they find out we're dating? It'll have the same consequences. A little more disappointment from my father if that's even possible, but the consequences will be the same either way. No point in being miserable, right?"

He was grinning again as he smoothed a stray bit of hair from my face. I thought he was going to kiss me again, I really did, but instead he dropped his hand to his lap and sat up straight.

"I'm going to take you out on a real date when we get back home," he said, leaning back into his seat. "I know you liked doing all of those educational exhibits and stuff with Hayden, and I would totally love to take you to some of those, but our first date is going to be somewhere romantic. I'm going to sweep you right off your feet."

He smiled and my heart fluttered in my chest the way it always did when he smiled at me.

"I can't wait," I whispered, leaning my head against his shoulder.

Adrian leaned his head down on top of mine, picked the magazine up again and flipped it open. "Ooh! I need that bread maker!" He pointed at the item on the page excitedly. "We could make fresh bread, it would be awesome."

I laughed and curled closer into his side, closing my eyes and enjoying the sound of his voice as he pointed to different things he wanted from the magazine.

I'd traveled a lot in my life. I'd been all over the United States and Europe. I'd spent a good amount of time flying back and forth between assignments or meetings. But this, flying to the Moroi Court with Adrian's arm wrapped around me while he murmured about electronic bird baths and foot massagers, was quickly becoming my favorite trip I'd ever taken. My sister was still being manipulated by Genevieve, Jill was still in danger from the rebels, I was still in danger of being found out by the Alchemists, but in that moment I was happy. And I decided that that was just as important as the rest of it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This chapter is so fluffy and sweet it'll make your teeth hurt. Hope you enjoy it though! Review and let me know!**

**P.S. Have you read the teaser Richelle posted? Adrian's tips on seduction? Ah! I so love him. Also the teaser trailer for TIS was released yesterday! OMG! So many Sydrian feels in it!**

I woke up right before the plane landed in Pennsylvania. I guess I had fallen asleep at some point. Adrian's head was on my shoulder, but he wasn't sleeping because when I yawned he turned his head and smiled at me.

"Hey," he whispered. His breath fanned across my cheek. It smelled like he'd been drinking a little while I'd been asleep. The empty mini-vodka bottle sitting on the tray table was proof.

I was glad for that, though. I let myself reach out and feel for his magic quickly, just to see how he was doing. I was happy to find that he seemed okay, even if the wave of spirit inside him was still larger than I would have liked. He didn't seem affected by it at the moment.

He sighed and nuzzled closer to me. "It feels nice when you do that," he murmured quietly.

The flight attendants went around collecting trash and getting everyone ready for landing. Adrian held my hand as we made our descent, rubbing his thumb over the tops of my knuckles.

"No more touching for a while once we're off the plane, huh?" he asked, once we landed. He was still holding my hand.

I smiled, a little ruefully. "Probably not."

Just because I had accepted my feelings for Adrian, that didn't mean anyone else was going to. There wouldn't be any Alchemists around to spy on me while I was at Court, but I knew how the Moroi felt about Moroi/damphir relationships. No one would be supportive of a Moroi/human one.

"That sucks," Adrian sighed. He sounded so much like a disappointed child that I laughed, which only amused him. "Can you blame me?" he smirked. "I just got the go ahead to do this."

Then he leaned in and kissed me. My breath caught in my chest. I wasn't sure why. We'd kissed a few times during the course of the flight, but for some reason it took me by surprise every time.

His fingers twisted in my hair, tilting my head further back and deepening the kiss. His tongue grazed the roof of my mouth and I needed to get closer, but at the same time I felt like I needed to get away. I couldn't take anymore, I needed to breathe, but I was unwilling to let him go. My arms tightened around his neck.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like _that_ anymore?" A woman asked from the row across from us.

Embarrassed, Adrian and I pulled away from each other. Or maybe only I was embarrassed. Adrian turned to the woman and her husband, who I could now see was the older couple who were sitting across the aisle. They had both slept most of the trip. Adrian smiled at them, throwing an arm around my waist. It was odd, feeling his arm around me in such a casual way, but I liked it.

The woman's husband smirked, reminding me a little of Adrian. "Why don't you look like _that_ anymore?" he teased, gesturing toward me.

The woman narrowed her eyes and whacked him lightly on the shoulder.

Adrian smiled again and leaned into the aisle, stage whispering conspiratorially to the woman. "I can only hope that this one will age as gracefully and as beautifully as you have," he said, pulling me into his side.

The woman smiled, saying, "Oh, stop," but she was preening like a peacock as she stood up to exit the plane.

Adrian stood too, turning back to me. "Her day has now been made," he said, obviously pleased with himself.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure it has." The first class passengers were forming a line in the aisle. "Will you go already," I said to Adrian, gesturing to push into the aisle. "I'd really like to get off of this plane eventually."

Adrian smirked and grabbed my hips, pulling me closer to him. "Really? Because I'd stay here all day with you." He leaned in to kiss me again, but it wasn't the same sort of kiss as before. This time he kissed me softly, pecking at my lips and cheeks. He even kissed my forehead before pulling away.

The tender way he'd done it made me want to blush and giggle but instead I smiled back at him, wrapping my fingers around his and following him into the aisle.

###

I was surprised to see Rose waiting for us once we'd collected Adrian's luggage from the baggage claim carousel—because he just had to check his bags instead of bringing them carry on like the rest of us had—and made our way outside. I knew someone would be picking us up, but I hadn't expected her and Dimitri.

She smiled widely when she saw the five of us. "Good flight?" she asked.

Eddie groaned and stretched his arms and legs for the millionth time since he got off the plane. "Flight from hell," he answered. "Got stuck behind a woman with a newborn. Kid didn't shut up once. And I think they're making the seats in coach smaller. I had to angle my legs into the aisle just to fit at all."

For the most part Eddie usually kept his complaints to a minimum, but around Rose he seemed more open. She smirked and gave him a hug.

"Missing the Queen's private jet now, aren't you?" she laughed.

"I, for one, had a lovely flight," Adrian commented as Rose turned to hug Jill. I wondered if Rose recognized her as Jill immediately, even with the spirit charm on, or if she'd had to look passed the glamour to see her true form?

"That's because you snuck into first class with Sydney," Eddie grumbled.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Adrian protested. Then he smirked. "But I will say, the service was excellent." He said the last part with a wink aimed in my direction.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh, blush, or roll my eyes. I settled for asking Rose why she had opted to pick us up herself.

"Our shift starts in an hour," Dimitri answered for her, giving me a friendly smile. "It was easier for us to come. It's not like we had any plans this early in the day."

"Speak for yourself," Rose muttered under her breath. "I had a warm bed I was enjoying. Not to mention the hot Russian guy..."

"You'll still have those things later, Roza." The moment Dimitri turned his smile on Rose I watched her melt. Her grumbly attitude evaporated and she smiled back. "Besides, we didn't want to take any unnecessary risks," he said, turning back to us.

I dared a glance at Adrian, trying to judge his reaction to their flirting. I knew he was mostly over Rose's betrayal and he'd really warmed up to Dimitri, but it couldn't have been fun watching the two people who'd hurt him most interact in such a coy way. I was surprised when I realized Adrian wasn't watching them at all. He was looking at me. He threw me a dazzling, crooked smile and another wink that made me want to laugh because it was so obvious. Instead, I followed Dimitri to the car and let him load in my bag.

The ride to Court didn't take very long, but it was long enough for Jill to go into detail about all of her classes and her brief stint as a model. She, thankfully, left out the parts that involved Lia releasing a photo of her in a statewide brochure. All the while, Adrian, who was sitting in the back of the SUV next to me, was making invisible nooses to hang himself with. I was impressed that Jill only turned around and smacked him once.

Despite Adrian's disinterest in Jill's stories, Rose seemed more than happy to listen. She asked Jill questions and even asked how Angeline, Eddie and I were doing at school. I did notice that she avoided asking Adrian any direct questions, though. I didn't think he'd mind answering them for her, but she still seemed cautious around him. Like she was walking on eggshells when she didn't need to be.

I figured once we arrived at the palace they'd try to sneak us in through a secret entrance or something, but Rose informed us that they already had our cover story all set. Eddie was supposedly Adrian's guardian while he was spending time out in California. Jill would be pretending to be a spirit user who was helping him research spirit and Angeline was her guardian. I was their Alchemist contact, strictly at Court to give the Queen a debriefing of our research. We walked in through the palace's main entrance, hiding in plain sight.

After showing us to our rooms, Rose and Dimitri went to start their shifts. It was still early in the Moroi day, but I was exhausted from the flight and seeing as I had nothing else to do at the Moroi Court tonight, I let myself collapse onto the bed for a short nap.

I woke up about an hour later to a strange, buzzing feeling on my leg. It took me a few moments to realize I'd fallen asleep on my cell phone. And now it was ringing. Feeling groggy from my interrupted nap I reached into my pocket and fished out the phone, glancing at the caller ID through one slitted eyelid.

Adrian's smirking face stared back at me. I closed my eye again and answered the phone. "When did you have time to change your contact picture in my phone?" I asked in way of greeting.

I could hear him smiling. "When you fell asleep on the plane," he answered. "Are you sleeping now? Let me in."

"Why?" I said, my voice thick with sleep. "You want to change the background on my laptop or something?"

"No," he said, like he was actually contemplating changing my desktop wallpaper. "I wanted to take you somewhere. Get dressed."

"Where?" I asked, slightly more alert now. I opened my eyes and stretched.

"Just on a walk," he explained. "Do you want to go?"

I threw an arm over my head and yawned. "Sure. Let me change and then we'll go. What is everyone else doing?" I asked.

"Jill was meeting with Lissa," he said. I heard him lean against the door to my room and smiled a little. "That sounds so stupidly formal. They're sisters. They shouldn't have a scheduled meeting. They should be going out to dinner. Or breakfast, since it's technically morning here."

I sat up and grabbed my suitcase off of the floor next to the bed. Rummaging through it I pulled out a few things to wear. "Yeah," I said. "I know Lissa's busy but Jill really needs her. The poor thing would take any sort of gesture. She just wants to feel loved and appreciated."

"Everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated, Sage. But Lissa does need to step up. She didn't ask for any of this, but neither did Jill. And she's her sister, whether she likes it not." He paused and then added, "Are you getting dressed?"

"Yes." I rolled my eyes. "I'm getting dressed. What kind of walk are we going on anyway? It's, like, twelve degrees outside."

"Just trust me," he said. "And wear something warm."

###

The walk Adrian planned for us turned out to be extremely nice. It was cold, but I had on a warm, down jacket with gloves and a hat. It was enough to keep me cozy, even in the dropping temperatures. Adrian had insisted I cover my lily tattoo just in case anyone noticed us together. _Better to think you're a feeder than realize you're an alchemist and start spreading rumors_, he'd said. I'd cringed at the word feeder, but agreed with his logic. Even something as innocent as a rumor could get me into trouble with the Alchemists.

Still, even with my lily covered in makeup, Adrian and I kept a modest distance from one another. It was nice just spending time with him. He took me through a residential neighborhood, one close to where he had lived growing up. The houses here were older than the ones we'd looked at when we'd walked together in Palm Springs and they ranged from traditional brick facades to ones with an occasional flying buttress. Adrian joked that the people who owned those houses took their vampire heritage just a little too seriously.

Finally, after walking from street to street, we came to a quiet little block with Christmas decorations at every house. Something about the warm glow of Christmas lights on the packed snow made me smile. Adrian stepped closer, pointing out a house across the street. It had purple siding with a big bay window in the front. Twinkling, white lights were strung throughout the landscaping. Despite its bold siding, the house was subdued and unobtrusive compared to the gaudier ones we'd seen. It was clear the family who lived here didn't have the type of money Adrian's family did, though.

"This one's my favorite so far," I said to Adrian, who was appraising the house.

"I always loved this house," he told me, still looking at the house. "I didn't really have a lot of friends when I was little. Not really a shocker, since kids never like the freaky kid in class who tells them they're glowing a lovely shade of blue that day." He shook his head, looking contrite. "I didn't know I was different from everyone else. Didn't matter, they thought I was weird. My parents thought there was something wrong with me. My father was embarrassed that his only son couldn't make a single friend. Sometimes... sometimes I just needed to get away, you know? I'd walk around until I knew my mother would send some of the staff out looking for me. I always walked over to this block and just stared at this house. They had kids that were my age, I think. I always thought about how my life would be if I lived in this house instead of my own." He glanced down at me and gave me a quick smile. "I thought living in a purple house would be way more fun than living in my house."

"My house was tan," I said. "My dad would only let us paint our walls white." I bit my lip and thought back to my childhood. "I remember asking him once to paint my room pink. I was little, really little. I didn't want princess pink or anything like that. I wanted magenta. A deep purple pink. It was the same color as the dollhouse my mom bought me for Christmas that year. He told me Alchemist homes had white walls and that I was too old to play with dollhouses."

When I looked back up to Adrian he had this look on his face. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it was making me feel a little uncomfortable. I kept talking, just to fill the silence.

"My mom never listened to him, though. She declared the garage hers and painted it blue. That was always my favorite room in the house."

"So we need a blue garage, then," Adrian said.

I looked up at him again, confused, but he just grinned at me and pointed toward the house.

"To go with the purple house," he explained. "It needs a blue garage."

It took me a second to see where he was going with this, but when I did I smiled. "And yellow walls," I added. "Because I hear they're calming. With lots of artwork. My house never had art on the walls."

"Mine did," he said. "But it never meant anything more to my parents other than an expensive price tag."

"So meaningful artwork only," I amended.

He grinned at me, happy I was playing along with his game. He started to say something when a snowflake drifted down between us. We both looked up and within seconds it was like the sky had opened up. Snow coated the two of us, getting caught in Adrian's perfectly disarrayed hair.

"We should probably go back now, huh?" he asked, not looking at all like he wanted to go back to the palace. There was something sad in his voice that I didn't like, but I had no idea what it was or what was causing it.

"Can we stop and get coffee first?" I asked, hoping to distract him from whatever he was feeling.

He nodded and started leading me through the streets. After a few minutes we ended up in a commercial area, one that, thankfully, had a cafe. When we got inside Adrian blew on his fingers and strolled up to the counter. The Moroi woman working there gave a double take when she saw me standing next to him.

"Hot chocolate," he ordered, either not noticing or ignoring the woman's stare. "And a skinny vanilla latte."

My heart gave this funny little thump in my chest, which was ridiculous because all he'd done was order my coffee for me, but I liked the way he knew exactly what I'd order without having to ask. Although I liked the look on his face even more when I said to the woman, "Actually, make it two hot chocolates."

Adrian smiled down at me, looking a little disconcerted.

"It's snowing," I explained. "You have to have hot chocolate when it's snowing outside."

"You know they put sugar in hot chocolate, right?" he asked, earning another weird look from the woman behind the counter.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Adrian. I somehow completely missed the fact that chocolate has sugar in it. It sounded good, okay? Let it go."

He nodded and turned to pay for our drinks. The woman gave us both one last stare before shaking her head and going back to work.

When we got outside I immediately peeled the top off of my cup, letting a few snowflakes drift into the steamy chocolate drink. Adrian took a sip of his drink, watching me as I put the lid back into place.

"That lady in there was a little startled to see you," he said, conversationally.

"Yeah, well, it's not everyday a human goes walking around the Moroi Court with a Lord, is it?" I took a sip of my hot chocolate and focused on not slipping on the slush covered sidewalk.

"Guess not," he admitted. "It could have gone worse. A lot worse." When I looked up at his serious tone he continued. "Are you sure you want this? To be with me? I mean, I want to be with you, but I haven't always been known to be the sanest guy in crazytown. We are going to cause a stir, no matter what. And I want you to be sure–"

Before he could even finish his sentence I leaned up and kissed him. It was quick and clumsy, what with me slipping a little on the snowy walkway, but when he looked back down at me he was smiling.

"I'm sure," I said firmly. We started walking again, Adrian taking my arm when I almost slipped.

"What was with the snowflake thing?" he asked when we were almost back at the palace. "Letting the snowflakes fall in your drink?"

I pressed my cold fingers against the warmth of the cardboard cup in my hand and smiled to myself. "It was something my mom always did," I said. "She would always make me and my sisters hot chocolate when it snowed. She'd take us outside with our mugs and let a few snowflakes fall into them. She claimed it would keep the hot chocolate from burning our tongues."

"I think I like your mom," he said softly. I looked up to see him smiling. It was a mix between his amused smirk and that real smile I loved so much.

"I think my mom would like you," I smiled back.

###

Adrian's phone buzzed as soon as we walked back into the palace.

"Jailbait wants us to meet the guys in one of the lounges," was all he said before he dragged me up the stairs and into one of the closed doors. I wanted to go change first, but apparently whatever Jill was up to was time sensitive.

When we walked through the door I did an automatic headcount of the people in the room. Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Sonya and a man I had only see once before. Mikhail.

"Adrian, Sydney," Sonya smiled, getting up from her spot on one of the sofas next to her fiancé. She hugged me, despite my jacket being wet with snow and then did the same to Adrian. I hurried out of the wet coat, hanging it on a coatrack by the door.

"Come," Sonya urged. "We were just about to play a game of Monopoly. Jill was waiting for you guys to start."

And sure enough, when I looked over at the rest of the guys, they were setting up a monopoly game board on the coffee table in the center of the room.

"Monopoly?" Adrian asked incredulously. "It's the night before your wedding and you're playing Monopoly?" He shook his head and I noticed he'd taken off his jacket as well. "Mikhail, what fun is a wedding without the bachelor party?"

Sonya laughed. "That's what I said."

But Mikhail looked completely unfazed. "I've already spent enough time away from you," he told her sweetly, then turned back to Adrian. "Besides, Angeline has never played Monopoly before. We're going to teach her."

"I've never played before, either," I admitted with a smile toward Angeline. She smiled back, happy, I assumed, not to be the only inexperienced one around here.

"What?" Adrian asked next to me. He looked astounded. "You can speak six languages and regurgitate random facts like a computer, but you've never played Monopoly? Come on," he said, taking my hand and dragging me down to sit on the floor next to the coffee table. "We need to correct this oversight right now. I call teams with Sydney," he announced.

A couple hours later and everyone in the room was trying to suppress their laughter at the fight Adrian and I were having.

"It's bad strategy, Adrian," I argued. "We have to buy properties people are statistically more likely to land on."

"But Park Place is the best property in the game," he complained. "Ask anybody. It brings in the most rent."

"We're already on the verge of bankruptcy because you can't land on a property without buying it. We don't have the money."

"We have a ton of money," he said, grabbing the stack of pastel colored paper from off the table. "I'm buying it."

"Adrian!" I complained, but he was already handing the money over to Jill who had begged to be the banker. She handed him back the blue property card with an amused smile on her face.

Sonya laughed and stood up. "I could use something to drink," she said. "Does anyone want some coffee?"

My hand shot up so fast I forgot I was angry with Adrian for ignoring me. He was raising his hand as well. In fact, all of us were.

"Must be the jetlag," Mikhail laughed.

"And the change in schedules," Eddie added seriously. "We're not used to being up so late."

It was late, I realized, past midnight by now.

"I'll get some for everyone," Sonya said.

"I'll help," I offered, following her to a small pantry-like room off the side of the lounge. There were shelves of snack foods and a mini fridge. On a small counter sat a coffee machine and some mugs.

Sonya told me all about the final plans for the wedding while we waited for the coffee to brew. Her bridesmaids were going to wear crimson to match the roses that grew in the green house where the wedding was being held. Since there were already going to be so many flowers they had decided to ditch the bouquets in favor of single candles for each bridesmaid.

"It sounds beautiful," I told her as I prepared my coffee. Skim milk, no sugar.

"It better be," Sonya joked. "After all the work and stress I put into this, it better be the most beautiful wedding that's ever been held."

I laughed and got another mug ready for Adrian's coffee.

"So," I said, pouring cream into Adrian's cup. Too much cream if you asked me, but that was how he liked it. "Are you excited about tomorrow?"

From the glowing look she had about her when she was describing the plans she'd made, I figured she was. She smiled, a big one, and leaned back against the counter. "It's like everything I've ever wanted is about to happen. I know Mikhail and I are together, but tomorrow..." She trailed off and shook her head, grinning adorably. "Tomorrow will make it real. Maybe I'll even stop waking up every morning thinking this was all just some fantastic dream."

I smiled and stirred two spoonfuls of sugar into the coffee. Bleh. Gross.

"What about you?" Sonya asked. "How have you been doing?"

I felt a lot of different responses bubble up inside of me, the first being fear and panic about my sister. But I couldn't explain to Sonya about Carly or Genevieve or magic. I didn't doubt she'd be supportive, maybe even helpful, but this was her wedding weekend. I couldn't drop a bombshell on her the night before her wedding. I also felt a strange, bubbly feeling wanting to spill over into words, a girlish need to talk about everything that had happened with Adrian today, but I repressed that as well. I couldn't, however, repress the small smile that I realized had turned my lips up.

"I've been fine," I said. It was pretty much a standard response now, but for the first time all week I felt like it wasn't just some vague non-answer. It was true, I was fine.

When I turned around to face her I noticed she wasn't looking at me, but at a spot just above my head. My aura.

"What do you see?" I asked.

Sonya looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling slightly. "Purple," she said. "It's a lot more prominent now. I can see it easily."

I wanted to smile, to laugh. She'd told me once that a purple aura meant passion and the ability to love deeply. I wasn't sure I thought it sounded like me, but I still liked that it was there. It meant I wasn't a plain, boring intellectual type, like Brayden or any of the Alchemists, but someone who felt things, someone who cared. Someone like Adrian.

"You're happy," Sonya said. It wasn't a question, even though she'd said it with a quizzical glance.

I couldn't think of anything to say to that. I was happy, despite everything, but I couldn't really tell her why. Even if I was almost desperate to talk about it. Really though, it made no difference. The look in her eyes told me she had her suspicions.

"Stay happy," she said, her voice serious, even though she was smiling. "I know it can be hard sometimes, but the alternative... Don't ever let anyone make you feel like you shouldn't be happy, even yourself."

I suddenly got the feeling she was referring to her own past mistakes. When she'd felt like spirit was driving her insane she'd went with it, choosing to turn Strigoi over fighting, and she now had a huge chip on her shoulder because of it.

"You have to be brave enough to let yourself be happy," she whispered. Then she smiled and the oddly intense moment was over. "We should get back out there before they all fall asleep on us."

She collected the sugar and cream I'd just used, placing it on a tray with several empty mugs and turned to leave, but not before grinning, amusedly, at the two cups of coffee in front of me. It was only then that I realized I'd not only made myself a cup, but I'd made a cup for Adrian, as well.

I'd made him coffee before, of course. Usually whenever I made myself a coffee at his house or Clarence's he'd chime in with an order of his own. _Make it two, Sage, and don't skimp on the sugar._ I'd gotten used to it and made the second cup almost on instinct. And I'd unwittingly added to Sonya's suspicions about us.

I sighed and walked back to the lounge. It wasn't like I thought she'd tattle on us or anything, but I also wasn't entirely comfortable with someone besides Jill knowing about our relationship. Not that I'd had a chance to discuss it with Jill, yet.

I placed the coffee mugs down on the table before taking my seat on the floor beside Adrian. He smiled gratefully, taking a sip. My insides lit up at that smile. It was full of affection and maybe even adoration, but if I could see that, Sonya certainly could. I glanced over at her, telling myself again that it was ridiculous to worry about her knowing Adrian and I were together, but it turned out to be a moot point. When I looked at her she was making her own coffee or possibly Mikhail's, and he was looking at her with a smile that mirrored Adrian's.

I took a sip from my mug, my free hand dropping down below the table and catching Adrian's. His fingers slipped between mine and stayed that way for a while. Even as we went back to the game and fought about the effectiveness of him trying to buy all the railroads.

Sonya was right, it didn't matter what people thought, as long as Adrian and I were happy. And we seemed to be happier together.

###

After the game Adrian, Jill and I walked back to our rooms, trailing behind Eddie and Angeline. The two guardians demanded we stay in the hallway with Jill as they did a sweep of her guest room. Jill rolled her eyes at Eddie's overprotectiveness, but I could tell she appreciated it. Not for the first time tonight, I wondered at how hard it must be for her to be here. In the place she'd once been murdered. It sent a shiver down my back just thinking about it.

Once Jill and Angeline were safely tucked away in their room, Eddie said goodnight and headed to his own room across the hall. Adrian was staying in the room next to him and I was across the hall from him. He walked me to my door and the butterflies took off in my stomach.

I wanted him to kiss me so badly I could already feel the tingle on my lips, but he just smiled and said goodnight. With a quick glance down the hall to make sure no one was coming I reached up on my toes and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn't clumsy or quick like before. This time it was soft and sweet and made me feel like an electric current was being shot straight down my spine.

"Wow," he breathed as I finally pulled back.

"Yeah," I murmured in agreement, smiling like an idiot.

"What was that for?" he asked, smiling back at me. "Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"That was for the walk. And the hot chocolate." I laughed. "I even had fun playing Monopoly, even though I told you we were going to go bankrupt."

"Eh," he said. "Who cares? We still owned all the best property on the board. Donald Trump never worried about going bankrupt."

"But Donald Trump wasn't trying to win a board game," I stated rationally.

He ignored me and brushed back a strand of hair from my eyes. He leaned in, grazing my cheek with his lips as he whispered into my ear. "I love you, you know."

My heart leapt, but it was beating too fast. I sucked in a breath of air, trying to figure out what to say.

Adrian must have realized what was wrong because he smiled softly at me. "You don't have to say anything back," he said. "Just know that I do, okay?"

He seemed pleased enough when I nodded and said goodnight. Pleased enough to make a joke about being too tired to make it all the way across the hall to his room.

"Sure I can't just crash with you, Sage?"

When I raised both eyebrows in his direction he laughed and went to his own room.

I closed the door to my room and then leaned back against it, smiling to myself.


	19. Chapter 19

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Its getting close to the release of The Indigo Spell. I'm so excited :D Anyway, here's the wedding chapter. I'm really not a huge fan of it. It's really fluffy and noting much happens. It's mostly just filler chapter. Next chapter is going to have more action and stuff in it, I swear.**

**P.S. There's a new chapter up in my Sydrian One Shots that's sort of a companion to this chapter. It's Adrian's POV of a scene that happens in this that you don't get to see. So check it out!**

**Review and let me know what you think!**

Despite being exhausted, I woke up a few times throughout the day, and I wasn't the only one. At one point I woke up to a running commentary from Adrian about some cheesy movie he was watching, he didn't seem to care whether I was texting him back or not. And I could hear Jill and Angeline talking through the wall. To kill time until I could reasonably get out of bed I finished reading Macbeth, turned in a report to Stanton, then turned on the same stupid movie Adrian was watching after he begged me. We texted for a while before I finally just got up and got dressed.

There was a knock at my door as I was finishing up my makeup. I was certain it was Adrian so when it turned out to be Jill and Angeline I was surprised.

"We were going to start getting ready," Jill said when I opened the door. "It's early, but if we do face masks, manicures, pedicures, makeup, hair, the whole shebang, it will takes us all day."

I shrugged and let them in. It wasn't like there was much else to do. Besides, I hadn't spent nearly enough time with Jill or Angeline lately. And maybe I'd finally get a chance to ask them what was going on with Eddie. Since Angeline broke up with him he'd started spending more time with Jill, but I didn't think there was anything going on between them. Not that I could tell, at least.

Jill was right, getting ready did take nearly all day. She'd taken charge of the preparations, starting us off with face masks while she did our nails. It was a lot more fun just hanging out with them than I had thought. Primping wasn't exactly my thing, after all. Well, I mean, I primped, but not to this extent.

Jill was doing Angeline's hair—she'd decided to slick it back into a sleek, high ponytail—when Rose knocked on the door. I knew it was Rose because she knocked and then walked straight in without waiting for an answer.

"Wow," she laughed, looking around the room at all of the makeup and hair products scattered about. "You guys have been busy."

"Couldn't sleep," Angeline replied and then grimaced as Jill tugged her hair tightly in order to place the elastic band around it.

"Yeah," Jill added, twisting a strawberry blonde strand around the black elastic, hiding it, and then grabbing a bottle of hairspray. "I'm so not used to Moroi time anymore."

She unloaded about a third of the canister on Angeline's head, causing the poor girl to cough. She'd done the same thing to me a little while ago, although she'd put my hair up in a twist and not a ponytail. She'd done a good job, too. My hair looked really nice. I'd insisted on doing my own makeup, though. With the amount of glitter on her and Angeline's eyes, I wasn't about to let her touch my makeup.

I had been finishing up my mascara when Rose walked in but now the wand was discarded on the dresser. All I could focus on was the steaming mug in Rose's hand. "Is that coffee?" I asked excitedly.

"Oh, yeah," Rose said, looking down at the cup like she'd just remembered she was holding it. "I brought it up for you. I figured you'd need it. I remember what a caffeine addict you are."

Jill and even Angeline laughed, but I just rushed forward to grab the mug. I may have been addicted to caffeine, but so what? There were worse addictions. I took a sip, noting that she'd used regular cream, but at least there was no sugar.

"I actually wanted to stop by and see all of you," Rose said, leaning against an armoire by the door. "We didn't really get a chance to hang out yesterday."

"It's cool," Jill smiled. "You missed out on Monopoly though. We all played last night. That was fun."

"Speak for yourself," Angeline groaned. "That had to be the most boring game I've ever played. It was even worse than that game Ms. Rudolph made me play in Biology. We got to throw a ball around the classroom, which you would think would be more fun than studying, but we had to toss it softly and stay totally silent the whole time! What kind of game is that?" she demanded.

"Silent ball?" Jill laughed. "Ms. Rudolph didn't let my class play!"

"Be glad," Angeline scoffed. "It was totally boring. Just like Monopoly last night."

"At least Sydney and Adrian were entertaining," Jill laughed and then stopped abruptly like she'd just told a secret. She eyed me and then Rose like she was waiting for one of us to pounce on her. I guess she thought Rose would jump on the comment, and maybe she would have if Adrian didn't walk in through the open door at exactly that moment.

"I'm usually pretty entertaining," he said, strolling over and plopping himself down on my bed. "Which reason am I getting credit for this time?"

"Monopoly," I answered, taking another sip of my coffee.

"Oh," he nodded, then turned to face me fully. "Damn, you already got coffee. I was going to ask if you wanted to walk with me to get some." He looked at the clock on the nightstand. "Stores should be open by now."

"I'll still go with you if you want," I said. "I'm starving, actually."

Rose laughed. "Did Sydney just say she was hungry? Are pigs flying around outside today? Did hell freeze over and I wasn't informed?"

Adrian smirked at her and then their laughter dissolved into an uncomfortable silence. Surprisingly, Angeline was the one who broke it.

"Uh," she said. "Can we go with you guys? I'm dying for some coffee and a donut or something."

"Sure," Adrian said, recovering his easy smile and sending it her way. "Family outing. Sounds like fun. Somebody go get Eddie."

Jill raised an eyebrow at him and picked up the discarded mascara. "You go," she said, finishing up her own makeup. "You're the only one not doing anything."

"I'm doing plenty," Adrian countered, fussing with a piece of lint on his shirt. "You just don't want Castile to see you without your makeup."

Jill's pale cheeks flamed, but she didn't respond in any other way, but Angeline smirked as she futzed with her bangs.

"Well," Rose said slowly, looking a little uncomfortable. I couldn't tell if it was because she was still unsure of Adrian or if it was something more than that, but the way her eyes scanned the four of us as we bantered told me she was thinking about something. "I should probably get going. Lissa's got a few meetings before the wedding. I'll see you guys there."

Then she turned and walked from the room.

###

Our trip to the cafe turned out to be a lot of fun. We all went and had "breakfast" and then Jill, of all people, started a snowball fight on our way back. Though she did put a few rules into order, such as no messing up hair and makeup. Even Adrian joined in whacking Jill in the back. I'd kept my distance from the flying snow, but Adrian did at one point drag me down with him when he slipped. Although I think he staged it just so he would have an excuse to put his hands on me. Either way, no one commented and we'd all had a lot of fun.

Once we'd gotten back to the palace Jill had immediately sent everyone off to finish getting ready. She'd already laid all of our dresses out in our rooms so we could run up, change, and then head downstairs to catch a ride to the greenhouse where the wedding was being held.

I'd tried my dress on quickly last night, but it looked different once my hair and makeup was done. It was a long gold gown that pooled around my ankles. It was a one-shouldered deal, with gold chain links connecting the fabric. It was lovely and looked really nice on. It didn't show an obscene amount of skin and even though the gold was a little ostentatious, I felt more comfortable in it then the red dress I'd worn on Halloween.

"Adrian is going to love it," Jill whispered when she and Angeline came back, causing me to blush a little.

Jill was dressed in a soft blue chiffon dress that came to her knees. It looked beautiful on her, just like all of her clothes did. I suddenly felt guilty because she couldn't model anymore. Looking at her while she fidgeted with her bracelets, I was certain that she was most in her element when she'd worked with Lia as opposed to trying to fit in at Court.

Angeline, on the other hand, looked right at home here at Court. The outfit Jill had picked out made her look professional, but still formal enough that she would feel dressed up. It was a form fitting black suit, similar to the standard Guardian uniform, but with designer elements, like pretty gold buttons on the jacket and a gold belt. Angeline looked very pleased with it as she admired her outfit in my mirror.

A few minutes later Eddie knocked on the door, warning us that it was almost time to go. He stopped short when he saw Jill. With her hair twisted into delicate curls falling over her shoulders she looked like the princess she was. Eddie offered her his arm as we made our way down the stairs. He looked happier than I had ever seen him and I hoped they'd both just admit their feelings to each other. It would make their lives so much easier.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs I noticed Adrian was nowhere to be found. When I asked Eddie he said that Adrian had gone ahead to the greenhouse with Lissa and the others.

"They were discussing spirit stuff, I think," Jill said, brow furring like she was trying to peer into Adrian's thoughts. "He'll meet us there."

It wasn't a long ride to the greenhouse Sonya picked out to house her wedding. Our driver pulled up in front of the entrance and he and Eddie hurried to help us out onto the snowy walkway. It wasn't snowing at the moment but it looked like it could start at any moment. I pulled my jacket tight around my shoulders, trying to keep out the chill.

The greenhouse was beautiful. White lights were strung around the doors and over the plants inside, leading the way into the main room where a few dozen chairs were set up. There were a few Moroi strolling about, chatting in small groups, but mostly there were Guardians. They lined the walls, stood by the chatting groups and circled the Queen.

Queen Vasilisa stood near the front of the greenhouse, by a beautiful, twinkling waterfall of white lights. She was talking to her boyfriend, Christian Ozera, and Rose. Dimitri was standing off to the side talking to Adrian.

I sucked in a small breath at the sight of him. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit and he looked good in it. His hair was as disheveled as ever, but somehow that just made him all the more attractive. I thought briefly what a long way he'd come since first stepping foot in Palm Springs if he was talking casually with Dimitri.

Adrian must have sensed Jill because his eyes darted over to our group, scanning faces until he found me. He smiled and then, as his eyes traveled down my body, he gaped. I almost wanted to laugh at his expression, but I had a feeling that I'd looked exactly the same way when I'd seen him.

As everyone started to take their seats Adrian made his way over to me, nudging me into a chair between him and Jill. He leaned over so he could whisper into my ear. "You look beautiful. I really wish touching wasn't prohibited right now."

I smiled, trying to let him know that I felt the same.

The actual wedding ceremony didn't last long. Maybe a half hour. I had almost wanted to cry during Sonya and Mikhail's "I do's". After the ceremony, the chairs were cleared from the room and a DJ called Sonya and Mikhail for their first dance.

Adrian stayed close by for the most part, but occasionally he would be called over to speak to someone or I'd see him at the bar getting a drink. Eventually Jill asked him to dance with her and they made their way to the dance floor. Eddie grabbed my hand and pulled me along too.

"What are we doing?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Dancing," he smiled, pulling me out onto the floor near where Jill was. "I need to stay close to her," he whispered once we were swaying to the music. "I figured it would be a lot less awkward dancing with you then with Angeline."

I couldn't blame him for that. "Are you two still not getting along?" I asked.

"No. We are," he said quickly, turning us slightly to keep Jill in his line of sight. "It's just still a little weird to talk to her. Imagine having to slow dance with Brayden since you guys broke up. It's always going to be a little weird."

"Yeah," I admitted. "I guess you're right. It's odd enough running into him every time I want coffee." I turned with him to the beat of the song, knowing that my back was to Jill and Adrian. "You and Angeline are handling it really well."

Eddie's eyes darted back to mine from where they had been looking over my shoulder. "It's not like we hate each other or anything. We were just having fun and, well. You know how I feel."

He looked back over my shoulder, but his cheeks were a little pink. There was no need to elaborate. I knew exactly how he felt. He had always liked Jill more than he'd liked Angeline.

"You should ask her to dance," I said softly.

Eddie laughed a little, but it sounded a little bitter. Bitterness wasn't something you usually heard from Eddie, so I nearly stopped dancing and asked him what was wrong. "That would go over about as well as you dancing with Adrian would," he said before I had a chance.

I froze up for a moment, wondering whether he was just making a point or if he knew something.

"He's happier when he's with you," he said in my ear. He turned us around again, giving me the briefest glimpse of Adrian and Jill before my back was to them once more. "Happier than he ever was when he was with Rose. You're happier with him too, aren't you?"he said, giving me one of his patented guardian looks. When I didn't say anything he leaned in again. "You smile more when he's around. It's not like it's on display or anything, but I know you. I can tell there's something going on."

The song ended and Eddie stepped away from me, his eyes following Jill as she and Adrian walked back to where Angeline was standing guard.

"Whatever you guys decide to do," Eddie whispered to me," I'll support you one hundred percent. We all will." Then he walked off and took his spot beside Jill.

After that I found a seat at one of the small round tables that had been set up in the back of the room. Jill had me wearing a pair of heels that were higher than I was accustomed to and they were starting to hurt my feet. I was resting and keeping an eye on Jill when the chairs next to me were pulled out.

To my surprise it was Rose and Lissa who sat down next to me.

"Hey, Sydney," Rose smiled. She had a cup in her hand and took a sip before placing it on the table in front of her. She was wearing her regular Guardian uniform, except she'd apparently optioned the standard white blouse for a flowy red top. She looked great in it, but I figured she was probably breaking protocol wearing it.

The Queen was wearing a beautiful green gown that was a lot simpler than what I would expect of a queen. It flowed to her feet, but it reminded me a lot of Jill's blue dress. Simple yet beautiful.

They chatted for a bit, including me in their conversation. Rose asked about how things had been going "at work" and I'd told her everything was going well. No need to worry her with my own personal problems. Everything with Jill was fine.

Lissa was extremely nice and the conversation flowed easily. She even asked that I call her Lissa like everyone else did. Finally, after a while, I built up enough courage to ask Rose and Lissa what I'd been dying to ask since we'd landed in Philadelphia.

"So," I began, leaning closer to them so I wouldn't have to raise my voice over the music. "You two were bonded for a long time. I had a question that maybe you can answer."

"Shoot," Rose said, sipping her drink again. It was a bubbly, dark brown that I was pretty sure was Coke. She was on duty after all.

"Well, you both, you know... had boyfriends and stuff."

"Oh! Speaking of boyfriends!" Rose interrupted, cheerfully. "I heard from a couple of birdies—one of them big and Russian—that you were dating someone." She gave me a look that I knew meant I needed to get her off of this topic as soon as possible.

"No," I said, quickly. "I mean, I went out with this guy, Brayden, a few times but it wasn't serious. We broke up–"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lissa said.

The sincerity in her voice made me smile a little. "It's okay, really. Like I said, it wasn't anything serious. We were just hanging out. I didn't even really like him that much."

"Well, then you just have to get out there and find someone you do like," Rose said decisively. Her eyes were scanning the green house, but I could tell she was still focused on our conversation. "You need to find yourself some hot, brainiac guy who wears sweater vests and solves math problems for fun." She laughed. "Find that guy and you'll find your soulmate."

I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. She sort of hit the nail on the head with that description of Brayden, although she didn't realize that that was who she was describing. But I knew from experience that Brayden, or anyone like him, was not what I was looking for. Just because I liked to do homework and wear blazers didn't mean I wanted to be with someone like that. It didn't make Brayden my soulmate.

I shot a surreptitious glance around the room, finding who I was looking for quickly in the crowd. He was standing near the dance floor talking to Sonya and Jill. I wished briefly that I was brave enough to just walk over there and kiss him, in front of Rose and Lissa and Sonya and everyone. Forget the rules, forget the Court and the Alchemists. But that would only cause trouble, no matter how romantic it might seem.

I pulled my gaze away from Adrian and looked back at Rose and Lissa, neither of which seemed to realize who I'd been looking at. Lissa was also staring across the room and I followed her gaze to find Christian talking with Dimitri over by the bar. Rose was doing another sweep of the room.

"Back to my original question," I said, snapping both of their eyes back to me. I addressed my question toward Lissa. "When you were... dating someone, how did you block the intimate parts from Rose?"

"Ha!" scoffed Rose. She jerked her thumb towards Lissa. "She didn't block anything. You know how many times I had to watch her and Christian making out? Thank God I was usually able to pull back before they got... friskier." She mock shuddered and Lissa rolled her eyes, but they both laughed a little.

I smiled, but was starting to feel worried. If Jill was subjected to every kiss Adrian and I shared...

"There was nothing you could do to prevent it?" I asked Rose. When she shrugged, I asked, "What was it like? I mean, was it like watching a reality show, or was it more like..."

"Being the person?" she supplied. "Yeah, sometimes. It was like watching TV sometimes too, though. Like you're watching what they're doing and listening to their thoughts. The more intense the emotions the more you're sucked in. The stronger it feels. When it's too strong it's hard to escape it."

She gave me a long look then asked, "Is this about Adrian?"

I choked and grabbed for the glass of water sitting beside me on the table. Rose sat up and patted my back once while I took a sip.

"You okay?" she asked. When I nodded, she went on. "Is Adrian dating someone or..." she grimaced, "maybe a lot of someones? Is that why you're asking?"

"No," I said, possibly a tad too quickly. "I was just wondering. For, you know, future reference."

That wasn't technically a lie. Well, maybe the part about Adrian not dating anyone, since we'd technically decided to start dating on the plane. But I did want to know exactly how the bond worked for future reference. I wasn't about to subject Jill to all of our private moments. It was bad enough she had to think his thoughts, she didn't need to live his make out sessions as well.

"Well," Rose said, thinking it over. "Jill will get better at controlling it with time. She should start being able to pull back from his thoughts when he's... being intimate." She mimicked my words. "But it helps when there is advanced warning for things like that. If you know it's coming you can be better prepared."

Lissa smirked. "Sort of takes all of the fun and spontaneity out of it when you have to plan ahead and let your bond-mate know ahead of time."

"Better to be less spontaneous than to have someone living it with you," Rose declared. She made a disgusted face and Lissa laughed.

"I'll make sure that they both know that," I said, hoping I wasn't blushing.

Rose nodded and then smiled slightly. "How are they doing with it?" she asked. "Have they had any problems?"

"No, not really" I said, then decided that it would be for the best to mention a few small things though. "Occasionally it's like his thoughts are seeping through into Jill or something. She'll get this dreamy look and ramble about things that don't make a whole lot of sense."

It was a vague description, yeah. But I couldn't very well come out saying, "Sometimes she gets this enamored look in her eye when she sees me and then she calls me beautiful and compliments my outfit choices," could I?

"That's the spirit," Rose said, looking troubled. "That's the thing I'm really worried about. I used to take the spirit darkness from Lissa when it got to be too much, but Jill can't do that for Adrian. It's dangerous and Jill shouldn't have to bear his madness."

"Adrian's _not_ going mad," I said firmly. "And no one expects Jill to do anything like that. Adrian certainly doesn't want her to. He's handling it well on his own."

Rose looked surprised by my tone, but all she said was, "How? Has he started taking anti-depressants?"

"He doesn't want to cut himself off from spirit," I answered. "Drinking is the best way he can think of right now."

Lissa and Rose exchanged a look that had me demanding, "What?"

"Nothing," Rose said. "It's just, I'd hoped he'd stop all the drinking. He promised me once that he would. It was one of the concessions he made when we started dating."

My brows scrunched up for a moment before I was able to smooth them out. I really wanted to say, "Why should he have had to make any concessions to start dating you?" but I didn't. Instead I said, "But drinking helps control spirit. He can't stop."

"He uses alcohol as a crutch, Sydney." Rose's face was serious and, even though I didn't think she understood Adrian's decision to drink, I was glad that she at least cared enough to worry about him.

"I agree," I told her, equally serious. "But that was the old Adrian. He's changed a lot, you know. Maybe you should talk to him yourself. I think you'd be proud of him."

Rose gave me one of those shrewd guardian stares I was starting to hate and Lissa just blinked at me once. I was suddenly terrified that I'd said too much, that I'd tipped them off to my feelings about Adrian, but then Rose's eyes fell to her lap where her hands twisted one of the cloth napkins.

"You're right," she said. "I've been avoiding him. Telling myself he's still the same angry Adrian who doesn't want anything to do with me. It easier that way, I guess. As long as he wasn't talking to me I didn't have to face him." She looked up at me with hope in her big, brown eyes. "But he actually said hi to me this morning. We bumped into each other in the hall and he said, '_How are you, Rose?_' He even smiled a little." She sighed. "It's progress, but that just means I have to go apologize for the way I treated him. I'm scared that he'll go back to being angry."

"Rose," I said. "Adrian's okay. He can handle an apology and he deserves one. You did break his heart, but now it's more his pride than anything else that's bothering him. He told me so himself." I smiled, trying to be encouraging. "An apology can do nothing but help at this point."

After a moment Rose smiled at me briefly. "You and Adrian have been getting along, huh?"

I nodded, hoping I didn't look suspicious. Or guilty. "We're friends," I said.

"That's good," Rose said. "He could use a friend like you." She took a deep breath and then stood. "Well, no time like the present."

Then she walked over to where Adrian was now talking to Eddie. I watched as Rose smiled awkwardly at him and then led him away from the crowded dance floor. When I finally lost sight of them I looked back to see Lissa staring at me.

"You like him," she whispered. "Don't you?"

I must have looked shocked or horrified because she hurried to say, "Don't worry. I won't say anything. It's just, the way you were looking at him. It's the same way Rose used to look at Dimitri before they got back together. A sort of... wistful hope for the future."

I wasn't sure what to say. I could deny it, but she'd probably be able to tell. Or she just wouldn't believe me. And for some reason, I didn't want to deny it. I should. This was the Queen of the Moroi, after all. I should definitely not admit to having feelings for Adrian... but still.

"We're working on it," I told her, truthfully.

She gave me a small smile. "I hope you get your future," she said. "Because Rose was right. He could use someone like you."

###

I saw Rose come back in first. Her eyes darted to me briefly, before she made her way over to where Lissa was now dancing with her boyfriend. I wasn't sure what I saw in that look and before I could consider it further a hand came down on my shoulder. I spun around to see Adrian standing next to me.

"Sorry," he smiled. "Didn't mean to scare you." His hand ran down my arm from my shoulder to my fingertips. He entwined our fingers and started leading me to the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" I asked, gently pulling my hand from his. "No touching, remember?"

Adrian rolled his green eyes and leaned into me. "Rose knows. Practically all of our friends know by now. Sonya and Lissa can read auras, after all. Who cares about the rest of them? Most of these people don't know what you are anyway," he said, brushing the backs of his fingers along my tattooed cheek.

Rose knew? I wanted to ask what they had talked about outside and why on earth he would tell her about us, but I didn't. Instead I tried to ignore the anxiety coursing through me and focus on this situation.

"Yes, but..." I desperately groped for a reason that made sense. Their were plenty of them, I knew. I'd been able to list all of them to Adrian on the airplane yesterday, but suddenly I was blanking. All I wanted was to sink into him and let him lead me around the dance floor.

"One dance?" Adrian said. "To better relations between our two races." He said the second part a little too loudly, but I didn't care. I let him drag me to the back of the floor. He whispered into my ear that no one would notice us back here and it made me feel a little better.

We swayed slowly to the music, one of Adrian's arms around my waist, the other holding my hand to his chest. Never getting too close to each other. He watched me for the entire song, just smiled down at me as we moved in time to the music. It was an older love song. I'd heard it before, but wasn't sure of the lyrics. Whatever it was, I didn't want it to end.

But eventually it did and we decided it was best not to push our luck. Instead of dancing, we each went back to our friends. Adrian went to talk to Eddie over by the bar and I went to find Jill and Angeline. We spent the rest of the night mingling with our friends and each other, but never getting too close.

And, unfortunately, there was no more touching.


	20. Chapter 20

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So, the new TIS teaser trailer... HOTT! ;) Anyway, I know I've taken forever with this chapter and I apologize. I've been trying to figure it out for a while and finally feel satisfied with the way it turned out. It's not as good as I'd hoped, but much better than it was before. I hope you enjoy it though. Let me know what you think!**

It was easier to sleep in the next day. The wedding reception lasted until well passed dawn. I felt like I'd only slept a few hours when a pounding sound woke me up.

I sat up, groggy and slightly annoyed. Was someone knocking on my door? It was only—I turned to look at the clock—4:00pm.

Oh.

I grabbed my robe from the bathroom before hurrying to open the door. Rose stood there with two mugs in her hands. I reached out and took the one she offered, not even bothering with a greeting. I didn't question why she was here. I had a pretty good idea from what Adrian had told me last night—or this morning, technically—before we'd gone to our rooms.

The two of them had, at some point last night, had a brief argument about his relationship with me and Rose had agreed to talk to me about it later.

I guess later was now.

I took a sip of coffee and sat down on the edge of my bed, watching Rose. She paced for a moment and then sat at the desk in the corner.

"Adrian told you why I want to talk?" she asked. She seemed a little nervous, which was odd for her. I nodded and she relaxed a little. "He's in love with you."

She said it so matter of fact I wasn't sure what to say back. "Well, yeah. He's only been telling me for months," seemed slightly inappropriate. I settled for another sip of coffee and a nod.

Rose bit her bottom lip. Searching for the right thing to say, I guessed.

"Sydney," she said finally, "I really hurt him. I didn't want to or mean to, but I did because I was only concerned with getting what I wanted. I'm sure I got you in more trouble with the Alchemists than you would admit. I was trying to save Dimitri and then trying to help Lissa and... I didn't pay attention to what happened to the people around me."

I was slightly taken aback by this turn in the conversation. "But everything turned out okay," I reasoned. "I got out of trouble, and Adrian doesn't hurt anymore. And you did save Dimitri and Lissa is queen now. You got what you wanted."

"But I hurt people I care about to get it," she said, then gave me a questioning look. "Do you love Adrian?"

I blinked at her. She was constantly changing topics it seemed. "I... I mean, I think... I haven't said those exact words to him yet, but..."

"There's no thinking. You know in your soul that you love him, or you don't. That's how it's always been with Dimitri. With Adrian, it wasn't like that. I liked him, cared about him, but it wasn't love." Rose stood up and walked over to the bed, taking a seat next to me. "Look, I know Adrian is charming and cute, but—"

I fixed my gaze on my coffee and interrupted her. "Yes, Adrian is attractive. And he's charming, though maybe not as charming as he thinks he is."

Rose laughed at that, the first smile she'd given me since she walked through the door, and it gave me a little bit of confidence.

"But he's also incredibly sweet and understanding," I continued. "He's funny and he always make me smile, no matter what. He's so talented, Rose. You should see his art. And he's impulsive, he's disarmingly honest and he can be so weird sometimes, but in the best way."

I stopped rambling and took a breath. I looked up at her, meeting her eyes. This was serious and no matter how embarrassed or nervous I felt, she needed to know that.

"He gets me, Rose. He understands me in a way that no one has ever understood me before. I can be myself around him. And he... He makes me want more for myself then just a life of following orders. He makes me feel beautiful and capable and I've never had that before. He's never had anyone to support him either, to be there for him, to _believe_ in him. I don't know if you understand that because you've always had this incredible self-confidence, but I do."

Rose looked a little shocked by my fervent tone, but she managed a small crooked smile. It was a smile that set me nerves at ease. "I think I understand," she said softly. "I'm sorry about bursting in here like this..."

"It's fine," I assured her. "It's actually kind of nice to talk about him to someone who's not... well, _him_. It's not like I can talk about him to anyone in Palm Springs. My friends at school think he's my brother. Eddie and Angeline don't know—or actually, maybe they do, but either way it would be too weird to talk to them. And Jill. She knows too much about it as it is. Although I am going to have to discuss it with her soon..."

"Sydney," Rose stopped my rambling. She grinned at me, smugly. "You're so weird when you're in love," she said. "You're different then I remember you. I guess that's Adrian's doing."

"Partly," I conceded. "It's a lot of things, I guess." I didn't want to get into just what other aspects of my life had had huge changes made to them.

"Well, whatever it is," she said, standing, "I like it. It suits you. I've got to go now," she said apologetically. "Lissa has an early meeting with the Royal Council and I need to be there."

"Don't worry about it. And thanks for the coffee," I said holding the cup up to her.

She watched me for a few moments before she finally said, "Last night, when I found out, I was mad at both of you. First at Adrian for falling for another girl who didn't love him back and then at you _for loving_ _him_. It didn't really make sense, considering, but I kept thinking about how unnatural the Keepers were and it spurred on my anger. But when I took a step back and put myself in your position I got it. And just so you know," she added as she reached for the door. "I don't think you and Adrian are unnatural. I think you're my friends and I'm actually really glad you two are together. I never would have imagined it, but I can see why he loves you and why you... feel the way you do." She winked. "You should think about telling him."

I made a face. "Telling him what?"

"That you love him," she said as if it were obvious. "You do. I can practically smell it on you. I can tell you from experience, you never know how much time you have with the ones you love, so you should let them know how you feel about them as much as possible."

She left then, leaving me with a foreboding shiver running down my spine at her words. She did have experience in losing loved ones, I remembered, thinking about how she'd been searching for Dimitri when I'd first met her. He'd been a Strigoi at the time and she'd done everything in her power to find him and then cure him.

Could something similar happen to me and Adrian? I wondered. The Alchemists were a concern for me, and Genevieve was a problem as well. And I couldn't forget that Adrian and I had almost been killed by two Strigoi not that long ago. Anything could happen at any time. I'd regret not being with Adrian, not telling him how I felt.

I made a mental note to tell him the first chance I got.

###

Since it was our last night in Court, we were all having dinner together. Everyone was there, aside from Sonya and Mikhail who were happily on their honeymoon by now.

Lissa was seated at the head of a long table, Christian and Rose at her sides. Jill, still wearing her glamoured ring, was sitting near me at the other end of the table. There were guardians everywhere. They practically lined the walls of the dining hall. Rose had assured Jill that this had become routine since the attack and that no one would be able to get through security.

We had a nice meal together, and I even ate most of it. That was probably because Adrian had taken the seat to my left and gave me this look every time I started pushing the food around on my plate. The food was good though and it most certainly wasn't a chore to eat it.

When dinner was wrapping up Adrian leaned close to my ear and whispered, "You ready for dessert?"

I blinked in confusion. "We just had dessert." I gestured to a plate in front of me smeared with pie crumbs and whipped cream. Adrian had eaten his pie and then finished off the rest of mine. How could he still want more?

Adrian pitched his voice lower so only I'd hear him. "I didn't mean that kind of dessert." His voice was rough and gravely and so sexy that I knew immediately what he was talking about. I fought off a blush and looked at him. He was looking at me through his lashes, his pretty green eyes doing wicked things to my insides.

I started to nod, wanting to drag him up to my room right now, when there was a commotion at the head of the table. My eyes widened as I saw three guardians pull tasers from their pockets and press them to Rose and Dimitri's necks. One for Rose, two for the larger Russian.

Lissa screamed while Christian grabbed her and pulled her behind him. Eddie had already jumped to his feat and was fighting a guardian who was trying to tase him as well.

"Sage!" Adrian dragged me from my seat, grabbing Jill's arm as well. We tried to back away from the commotion without drawing attention to ourselves.

Angeline started to go after a guardian next to her, but the man looked just as confused and scared as the rest of us, so instead she took up a spot near me, Jill and Adrian. The four of us backed up against a wall, looking for a clear way out. Angeline stood protectively in front of Jill, while we watched the guardians brawl with one another. It wasn't easy to tell who was fighting whom. A group of guardians who must have been loyal to the queen pushed her and Christian back until they were trapped in a small alcove, the guardians protecting them from any oncoming threats.

Dimitri, even tasered, pummeled through his attackers. Rose was quick to recover, as well, and together they headed into the fray. Dimitri was quickly making his way to us, calling out some instruction I couldn't hear over the commotion, when a new voice broke through the rest, silencing everyone.

"Enough!" the voice shouted. The owner of the voice was a middle aged dhampir who stood in the center of the room, a gun in his hand. "We don't want a fight!"

"You could've fooled us," Adrian muttered under his breath. I shot him a look telling him to please be quiet. We didn't know what they wanted, but I was pretty sure I had an idea and our little group over here in the corner didn't need Adrian drawing attention to us with smart comments.

"Put the gun down," Dimitri said calmly. He was close to the man, but not close enough to over power him. Not without getting shot, at least. "We don't need to fight. Whatever it is you mean to accomplish, we can work it out without bloodshed."

"All we want is the princess," the man said. He took three steps toward where I was standing with Jill and gestured at us with the gun. Other dhampirs who must have been with him fell in behind him to watch his back.

"You three. Come here." He motioned at us again when we didn't move right away. "You girls, over here. Now."

Angeline made a show of lifting her chin defiantly and stepping in front of Jill and I. "We're not going anywhere," she said. "Whatever you want, you'll have to go through me—"

The man sighed and pointed his gun. I yelped as a loud noise reverberated through my teeth and Angeline made a grunting sound before falling to the ground. For half a second I thought she was dead, I thought he'd killed my friend, until I saw her writhing around on the floor in pain. Her hand clutched her shoulder and she groaned softly.

The guardians, the ones who weren't a party to whatever sort of coo this was, all took a step forward at the gunshot. Dimitri's eyes lit with rage and he started to leap towards the man with the gun, but even Dimitri wasn't fast enough. The man rushed forward, pressing the gun to Jill's head.

Adrian moved at my side but another guardian grabbed him, yanking him back. There were guardians everywhere and no one seemed to know who to trust. Who was good? Who was bad? How do you work as a group to defeat an enemy when you don't even know who the enemy is?

"I know one of these girls is the princess," the man drawled. "I have on good information that she's wearing a spirit charm. I already shot the dhampir girl. Do I need to kill them all or will someone tell me who the princess is masquerading as?"

The gun shifted from Jill to me, the cold steel pressing against my skin. Adrian cursed and I could hear him struggling with his captor but I didn't move my gaze from the guardian in front of me.

"A human, an Alchemist even, having dinner with the Queen," the gunman said slowly like he was unraveling something. "It'd be a good disguise if you wanted to keep a Moroi princess safe. No one would expect it." His voice was low. Not threatening, exactly, but intimate. He wasn't speaking to Dimitri or the other guardians, or even to me. He appeared to just he thinking aloud.

There were struggles going on all around us. Someone started screaming as flames burst out at the other end of the room, but it was like I'd locked on to this man through it all. Jill started to speak, started to out herself as princess, but I squeezed her hand in a silent plea to stay quiet. I already had a plan and was about to put it into action.

Jill was a water user. If he thought I was her, he wouldn't have had to worry about making eye contact with me. And if I wasn't her, then I was a human. Problem for him was, I wasn't her and I wasn't entirely human.

I whispered the same phrase Mrs. Terwilliger had taught me just a few days before, a Latin phrase that roughly translated to _do as my will commands_. The man looked at me strangely but didn't have time to process my words before he lowered the gun and took a step back.

I grabbed Jill's hand tighter and ran towards Eddie who I could see was the closest of my dhampir friends. He and another guardian, who he seemed to trust, were making there way towards us as well. A dhampir grabbed my hand, yanking me back before I could reach the relative safety Eddie provided, but Jill made it. Eddie quickly pushed her behind him, while the other guardian ran at the dhampir who'd grabbed me. They hit the floor in a tangle of swinging limbs and loud grunts.

For a moment I just stood there and took it all in, as if time had slowed down. Angeline was still on the ground, but struggling to get to her feet. Adrian was wild eyed, fighting off a dhampir who had ahold of his arm. I could tell he was using compulsion, or trying to. Rose had joined the guardians who were surrounding Lissa. Christian had pushed his way through and was standing next to her, his hand lit with fire. I recalled, detachedly, that he was a fire user. Dimitri was fighting off two dhampirs that were trying to get to Eddie and Jill.

The man with the gun had shaken off the compulsion I'd used, by now. I wasn't a trained witch and had only just learned the spell. I saw him raise his gun in Jill's direction. He must have assumed she was his target because of the way everyone protected her. It happened so fast. The man pulled the trigger and Eddie stepped forward, in front of Jill. In front of the bullet that had been aimed directly at Jill's head. The bullet that was heading straight for Eddie's heart.

It all happened in less than a second, but I gathered magic to me, very calmly, much too calm for someone who knew one of her best friends was about to die, and pushed with everything I had in me. I watched Eddie shut his eyes, complete peace on his face as he prepared to give his life for Jill. I watched the magic hit the bullet and knock it off its course and into a wooden beam a foot and half from where Eddie was standing.

The man lowered the gun slightly, looking dazed. He blinked several times, trying to figure out why Eddie wasn't on the floor bleeding out. Eddie seemed to be trying to figure out the same thing. He looked at the splintering wood to his right with a stunned look on his face, before turning to look around him as if he'd find an answer to why the bullet veered at the very last moment. His eyes met mine for a brief second and went wide. It was then that I noticed my hands. They were held out in front of me in a way that made it very clear I'd been doing something. I'd thrust my hands out when I'd pushed the magic at the bullet. I lowered them quickly, assuring myself no one in this room was going to jump to the conclusion of been using witchcraft.

After a moment Eddie, the trained guardian that he was, twisted back to look at the man. He didn't hesitate even though he still looked shocked. He barreled into the man, causing the gun to go skidding across the floor.

Someone grabbed my arms and I jumped, sucking in a breath to scream, but then a familiar voice sounded in my ear. "It's me! It's me, Sage."

I turned to see Adrian standing next to me. He pulled me over to Jill and the three of us huddled in the corner, waiting for the guardians to finish taking control of the room. It didn't take long after the gunman was down.

Once they had the man in custody, Eddie came over to make sure Jill was alright, but he kept staring between me and the splintered wood on the wall as he led us out of the dining room with a look that said he had no idea what happened back there, but he was suspicious.

"Are guys alright?" Dimitri asked, walking into the safe room they'd taken us to. He had a flustered Angeline on his arm and helped lower her onto a couch by Adrian, who knelt down immediately to heal her wounded shoulder.

"Fine," I said. Jill grabbed my hand and squeezed.

"That was a close one, Eddie," Rose said, strolling in like nothing was wrong. She thrived on this stuff. Not the danger for her friends, but the fight. This was why she loved being a guardian. "I swore you're entire life flashed before my eyes. I can't believe that Craig was that bad a shot."

Craig must have been the dhampir who'd had the gun. And Rose knew him by name.

"These were guardians?" I asked, even though I already knew. "They turned on Lissa? How could something like that have happened?"

Rose frowned. "They're guardians, alright. We think they were always anti-Lissa, and haven't been paid off by the rebels or anything, but they aren't talking. Yet. Just wait though. Abe's going to go have a talk with them. He assured us he can get the information from them."

I grimaced, imagining just what Abe Mazur would do for information, even though it was warranted in this case. I sort of hoped he did something even worse than cutting an eye or two out. These rebel dhampirs had shot Angeline, stuck a gun in Jill's and my face, and almost killed Eddie. A strong feeling was building in my chest but I couldn't be sure if it was hatred or just fear.

Rose didn't notice the emotions welling inside of me. She turned back to Eddie. "So what happened?" she asked. "I can't believe you guys aren't dead right now. I mean, I'm glad your not. But, well. I can't figure out why Craig backed away from you, Sydney. It was like he just let you go. And, Eddie, I've seen Craig during target practice. I've never seen him miss with anything. You're one lucky dude."

Eddie's face stayed a cool guardian mask and he nodded to Rose. He even gave her a small smile. But when his eyes met mine, I could see all of the questions he had in them.

I sighed. Guess it was time to let the rest of the family in on my little secret.

###

Thankfully, Eddie didn't ask any questions that night. He seemed more interested in getting Jill and Angeline safely on the first flight out of here. Dimitri and Rose had set up a backup plan just in case something like this happened while we were here and had booked seats on about twelve different flights out of Pennsylvania. Jill was set to go on one, switch to a different flight, and then repeat the process until they were finally back in California. They left pretty quickly after the attack.

Eddie'd wanted us to go with them but Adrian had declined. He was right. There were things that needed taking care of here. As the only Alchemist on the scene I had reports that needed filing and that took up a lot of the night. Adrian stayed at my side until I was done and then he took my hand and we went upstairs to gather the other's things. They'd left in such a hurry they hadn't had time to pack.

"What are we doing now?" I asked, packing up the last of my luggage. Jill, Eddie and Angeline's things were already packed and waiting by the door.

Adrian sighed and sat on my bed, toying with his cell phone. "Rose says they'll meet us in the morning. We'll leave once the sun's up. The head of the guardians is going to personally drive us to the airport, then we'll catch a never ending line of planes and layovers until we finally get home."

I bit my lip, thinking it over. "But the guardians..."

Adrian grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. "Rose says Hans is trustworthy, then he's trustworthy. She wouldn't let anything happen to Jill or Lissa. Or us."

"I know." I pushed down on his shoulders until he fell back on the bed, pulling me with him. I curled up with my head on his chest listening to his heart beat.

"I was terrified," he admitted, stroking my hair. It was the first time we'd talked about the attack. I'd filed reports and checked in with the Alchemists, but we hadn't actually spoken about it. "I saw him press that gun to your head and I thought that was it."

"It wasn't. I'm fine," I said, leaning up on my elbow so I could see his face. "I'm fine."

"You used compulsion," he whispered, his voice rough. "I heard you do the spell. I am so glad you're a witch, Sage. So glad you learned that damned spell."

It was the tears in his eyes that did me in. I was tearing up too, the adrenaline wearing off and the panic and shock setting in now that we were alone, but Adrian's tears were too much. I kissed him roughly, hoping that would stop the quivering of my bottom lip. He kissed me back desperately and we rolled over so that he was on top. He dragged me up the bed so that I was resting on the pillows.

We just kissed for awhile. We didn't need to speak and, honestly, I didn't want to talk about what happened. I just wanted to lay here with him and forget.

Eventually, the fear faded into desire. And it wasn't long before Adrian's shirt was off and mine was unbuttoned, revealing a plain cotton bra underneath.

If Adrian cared that I wasn't wearing something sexier he didn't show it. He dropped his head to my chest, kissing his way from my collarbones to the soft skin at the edge of my bra. His lips were warm and so soft against me. I dug fingers into his hair as he lapped and sucked at my skin.

"Stay," I whispered breathlessly. "Stay here tonight. With me."

Adrian rested his chin on my stomach and gave me a look. "Do you think I actually planned on leaving?"

He crawled back up to kiss me on the lips. We got distracted with that again until, finally, I tried to sit up and pull my shirt the rest of the way off. When I did Adrian pressed me back into the mattress and shook his head.

"No," he said softly. "Not tonight, Sage."

"What?" I was confused. We'd been making out for awhile now and I just wanted more. I needed more. I'd almost died tonight, he could have died. I didn't know what, exactly, I'd been planning to do, but I knew I wanted more than what we were already doing.

He curled his arms around me and bent to kiss my chest again. "We're not going to do anything more tonight that we might regret in the morning. I don't want you to be with me out of fear. I want you to want this with everything you have in you." He lowered his voice. "The way that I want it. And, no matter how I know you feel, we've been together for, like, three days. I haven't even taken you out to dinner yet."

I smiled and pulled him up to kiss me. "I've taken you to dinner plenty of times," I teased.

He smirked. "You have. But I'm not counting it."

I sighed, disappointed that we weren't going to keep making out. I knew we were getting to the point where making out was about to become... more than making out, but I really couldn't bring myself to care at that moment.

Adrian actually had the nerve to laugh at me. "Sorry, Sage," he said. "But I think I have a headache. You'll just have to keep your khakis on a little longer."

I flushed, embarrassed by my lack of restraint. To avoid further humiliation I turned my face away and buried it in a pillow. It didn't work. Adrian only seemed more amused by that reaction. He scooted down the bed so his lips were on my a best again. He fingered the cotton of my bra strap for a moment before pulling my shirt closed and buttoning it back up slowly.

I closed my eyes, loving the way he kissed me before every button. Him buttoning me back into my clothes was almost more of a turn on them him unbuttoning the blouse had been.

"I love this shirt on you," he whispered as stopped buttoning and started kissing my neck. "You should wear yellow more often."

His words and the thought of my shirt brought back memories of getting ready for my first date with Brayden. I'd wanted to wear this shirt, but Julia had insisted it wasn't the right choice for a first date. I laughed at the memory and, at Adrian's questioning look, filled him in on the story.

"It's just so funny, because Julia said, 'this is the kind of shirt that says you're never getting in here', but well..." I laughed again.

"Why should he have?" Adrian said. It wasn't jealously on his face, but more like concern.

"That's what I said." But when he still looked concerned I cupped his cheek with one hand, brushing my fingers through his hair with the other. "He didn't. I mean, we only ever kissed and it wasn't... It wasn't like this."

"I know," he said gently. "It's just that... You know you don't always have to do what other people want you to, right?"

"I know," I said, bewildered by his question. "But I want to do this."

Adrian smiled softly and leaned up to kiss my lips. "I don't mean this," he whispered. "Just in general. You don't have to do what someone tells you to just because they want it. If you wanted to wear this shirt," he ran his pointer finger down the row of buttons, "than you should you worn it. They shouldn't have pushed you. And, no matter who you're dating, you don't have to go any further than what you feel comfortable with. I don't care if its your first date, second date, or forty-fifth date. You don't—"

"Adrian," I laughed, both touched and amused by his protective speech. "I know."

"Really?" he asked. "Because sometimes it doesn't seem like you do."

_Maybe that's because sometimes I don't_. But that wasn't true. I did know I could say no to people. I knew I could have said no to Julia and Jill and Kristen and worn this yellow shirt on my date, but I didn't. They wanted me to wear something different, something out of my comfort zone. And while it was pushy, it wasn't harmful in anyway. My problem, the real one, the one I knew Adrian was trying to get at without saying it directly, was when it came to the Alchemists.

The second the attack was over and I knew Jill and the rest of my friends were safe I'd called the Alchemists. I'd done, word for word, what I'd been instructed to do. When I'd tried to share my theories on the attack with Stanton, she'd told me to make a note of it in the report and then told me what questions to ask when I interviewed the guardians that had been involved. Like she even knew what to ask! I was the one that was there, that had had a gun pointed to my head. But I'd quietly done what she asked, not speaking my mind or asking questions. And Adrian, who'd stayed close the whole night, had heard it all. This was his way of telling me it was okay to say no to them.

What he didn't understand was, it wasn't. Not according to them, at least.

"I'm tired," I sighed, hoping he'd let the topic go.

To my relief, he did. He kissed my neck once and then my lips, pulling me close to him. "Do you want to change first?" he asked as an afterthought.

I snuggled closer. "No," I whispered. "I just want to go to sleep."

He pulled the blankets up around us and kissed my temple. "Okay. Let's sleep, then."

He reached over and switched off the lamp that was on the end table. A light was still on near the bathroom, so it wasn't completely dark, but I didn't care. I didn't want him to get up to turn it off, so I buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and within a few minutes I drifted off into a sleep I hadn't expected to come after the nights events.


	21. Chapter 21

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Finally, another chapter! There should only two more after this and I'm hoping to have them out before TIS releases next week. Can't believe it's almost here :)**

As we finally got off the plane in Los Angeles, I just kept thinking, _I should of have told Adrian I love him_.

It had been stuck on repeat in the back of my head for the entire trip back to California. Why hadn't I just said it last night? After the attack, after making out, after sleeping in the same bed. We woke tangled in the sheets together, for God's sake! I still couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. But Rose was right. I did love him. And I should tell him.

Adrian grabbed my luggage from me, taking my hand and leading me out to the long term parking lot where Latte was waiting. I could turn to him right now, I thought. I could just say it.

_Say it!_

I didn't. I stayed silent as we got in the car and started the drive back to Palm Springs. It wasn't that I didn't feel it. I did, but it was... it was like what Adrian had said yesterday when I'd wanted to take our make out session farther and he'd wanted to stop. I was scared. Scared I'd never get to say the words to him so I was rushing. I could turn to him right now and say _Adrian, I love you_. And he would love to hear that, but it would be forced. I thought back to what he said yesterday.

_I want you to want it with everything you have in you_.

That's what I wanted. I wanted to say it at a perfect, romantic moment when everything was just happening naturally and the words would roll off of my tongue. Unlike if I said them now while driving us down the freeway as the sun set behind us and the traffic jammed up ahead of us. I'd probably stutter and stumble over them and wouldn't that be romantic?

"What are you thinking about over there?" Adrian asked, smiling at me from the passenger seat.

I smiled back and said, "You."

"I'm thinking about you, too," he whispered, leaning across the console to kiss my cheek. "I'm also thinking about how nice the backseat of this car would be compared to how cramped the seats in coach were." He stretched his back and then cracked his neck. "What do you say, Sage? We could pull over for a few minutes, get semi-naked in the backseat...?" He gave me the sexiest look you could imagine, but the way he waggled his eyebrows just made the whole thing look ridiculous.

"No, that's okay," I said laughing. "Besides, I do have to be back at Amberwood before curfew."

He sighed and then perked up as an idea occurred to him. "Tell them you had to take a later flight. Stay at my place tonight. We'll cuddle like last night."

I raised an eyebrow at him, but kept my eyes on the road. "I think we did a little more than just cuddle last night."

Adrian smirked. "We can do some of that stuff too, if it's a deal breaker for you," he said. "But then we'll cuddle afterwards. I'll even set my alarm early so that you'll have plenty of time to get back to school in the morning. I promise."

I wanted to give in. It would be so easy to say yes and spend the night with him. And I wanted to. Waking up with him had been a great way to start the day, but being completely irresponsible was not a part of who I was. Besides, I really wanted to get back to Amberwood to see Jill and the others. I wanted to make sure they were all alright.

"Not tonight," I said to Adrian. To soften the no, I quickly reached over and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for the offer, though."

He huffed a little but then jumped into a whole conversation about this new watercolor technique one of his professors was teaching him. Soon I was dropping him off at his apartment and heading back to Amberwood.

I was eager to get back to my room and relax for a few minutes before going to find Jill and the others, but my hopes were cut short when I was accosted by Eddie in the lobby of the girl's dorms.

"There you are," he said with a sigh of relief when he saw me walking in, dragging my bag behind me. I was nervous about why he'd been waiting for me, but then he smiled and said, "Here, let me get that." I figured nothing could be too wrong of he was smiling and taking my bag for me.

"You don't have to," I mumbled, knowing it was no use. This was Eddie, after all. And that was precisely the problem. I'd wanted to speak with Jill about everything that had happened before I talked to Eddie or Angeline for multiple reasons. The biggest being because the attack had to have a huge emotional impact on her. I mean, this was the second time someone had tried to kill her at Court. But the reason that I was more interested in, even if I hated myself for it, was that Jill knew about my magic and she also knew Eddie and Angeline slightly better than I did because she spent so much time with them. I wanted her advice on how to tell them what I could do.

Eddie carried my bag upstairs for me as I followed behind him. "How are Jill and Angeline doing?" I asked.

Eddie's shoulders tensed and I was suddenly worried again. What if they really weren't alright like I'd assumed? And here I was, being all selfish and thinking about my own problems.

"They're doing okay." He sighed. "Angeline got really freaked out, she's good at keeping it in, but what happened scared her. I don't think she ever thought about what would happen if she got hurt."

I could see that. Angeline was always a little head strong about her abilities as a guardian. Something like this had to have altered her perception of herself.

"Jill and I keep telling her she did really well. She did everything she was supposed to. She's better now, but it really freaked her out last night. And Jill... Well, Jill was already scared from, you know, last time. This time wasn't nearly as bad as that. I think she'd really like to talk to you about it. They both would." As we came to my hallway he turned his head and gave me a long look. "But I really want to talk to you about it first."

I wondered if I could get away with playing dumb about the whole magic situation, but the gleam in Eddie's eyes told me I couldn't. Or shouldn't. He deserved to know what really happened. I nodded and gestured for him to follow me to my room.

"So," he said once we were in my dorm and the door was closed behind us. "What was that at dinner? What did you do? Because I know you did something to save me. I should be dead right now."

I had been so nervous about this talk. So worried how he'd react to my confession, but now, looking into his hazel eyes, I wasn't worried anymore. If Eddie could stand there and talk about his near death experience the way someone else might talk about the weather, then I could certainly admit I was a witch.

When I was finished with my explanation he was sitting quietly at my desk chair. I'd told him everything. About how Mrs. Terwilliger had tricked me into creating the fire amulet that helped save Adrian from the Strigoi in Keith's apartment and how Genevieve had kidnapped and brainwashed Carly. I told him the basics of the plan we'd fleshed out with Marcus to get her back. He took it all in silently, letting me release everything that had been on my chest for months. Whether he was silent because he was processing or because he was in shock, I couldn't tell.

"So, the other night, you used magic to push the bullet off course?" he said, repeating what I had told him just a few minutes ago.

I nodded. "I saw what was happening and I had the ability to stop it. So I did."

"And you're only telling me all of this now because I caught you?" he asked, sounding annoyed. That wasn't exactly the response I'd imagined him having. "You wouldn't have told me otherwise. You and Adrian would have run off and fought this–this Genevieve person without telling me!"

"Eddie..."

"No, Sydney!" he growled. "You should have told me this. I know you didn't trust us in the beginning, but after your sister was kidnapped? I could have helped you!"

I definitely hadn't been expecting this from him, but maybe I should have, I realized. Eddie was very protective of the people he cared about, and that now included me.

"I'm sorry," I said honestly. "I was trying to keep you all out of it. Your job is to protect Jill, not me. And you certainly weren't trained to run off half-cocked after a coven of psychotic witches."

"And you were?" he scoffed.

"No," I admitted. "But I'm learning now. Mrs. Terwilliger and Adrian have been helping me."

Eddie shook his head at the mention of Adrian. "He should have told me what you were up to."

"He wanted to," I defended. "But he was keeping a promise to me. I was the one who didn't want you involved."

"Sydney," Eddie sighed. "You're my friend. And I want to help you." He seemed to notice the argument brewing within me because he changed tactics. "And, regardless of any of that, don't you think it's important for me to be aware of any and all dangers that we might run into out here? What if that Genevieve woman came here for you? What if Jill was around?"

I didn't answer him, my argument dying in my throat. I wanted to say that that wasn't a likely scenario, but I knew that wasn't going to appease him.

"Well, at least I know now, before you all went off and got yourselves killed." He shook his head in exasperation. "You really got yourself in deep with this one, Sydney. Our best bet would be to call in the guardians..."

"No!" I snapped. "We can't."

"I know," he said seriously. "They'd ask too many questions and it might start a panic back at Court. And they'd definitely get the Alchemists involved which, I'm assuming based off of my impression of them, wouldn't end well for you."

I shook my head, relieved that he seemed to understand. Of course he did, he was Eddie. Always thinking ahead, always planning.

"They'd take me away, maybe even hurt me," I admitted.

"Damn," he muttered. "What are we going to do about that? I'm sure you and Adrian have been trying to come up with something?"

"That's not what's important right now," I said, wanting to switch topics away from the Alchemists. "What's important is getting Carly back and making sure no one—Moroi, dhampir or Alchemist—finds out about it."

Eddie nodded his agreement. "Alright. I'm in. And I want your word that I will be included in all of this from now on."

It really was no use. We'd need his help if our plan was ever going to come together. And as much as I hated to admit it, he was right. This was his business and he deserved to be included.

"I swear," I said. "Now I should probably go have a chat with Jill and Angeline."

###

I was surprised to get a phone call from my mother two days later. I hadn't spoken to her in months and then two phone calls twice in less than a week. It was some kind of record. I was even more surprised by what she had to say.

"I'm in Palm Springs," she said as soon as I answered. "Tell me you're still here."

"I'm here," I said slowly. What was my mother doing in Palm Springs?

"Good," she sighed. She sounded relieved. "Can we meet up?"

"Um, yeah. Of course." She rattled off the address of a cafe not too far from Adrian's apartment. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes later I pulled Latte to a stop in front of the cafe and found my mother at a table inside near a window.

"Mom..." I said slowly as I sat down. "What are you doing here? How did you even know where I was?"

She looked up at me with her wide brown eyes and took a deep breath. "I made Zoe tell me where you were. She confessed that she was the one who told Carly where to find you. She thinks this is all her fault."

I shook my head firmly. "It's not. Not even a little."

"I know," she said. She took another breath and pulled her straight brown hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She was always doing that. Being a mechanic she liked to keep her hair out of her face so she could work. I could never do anything as simple as pull my hair into a ponytail without looking in a mirror. I would be too worried that it wasn't smoothed down and perfect. It suddenly seemed like such a stupid worry to have. Who cared if my hair wasn't perfect? My sister was missing.

"That's why I'm here," Mom went on. "Because it isn't her fault. It isn't your fault. It's mine."

"What do you mean?" I asked. How could Genevieve taking Carly be my mother's fault?

"You were right, Sydney," she said, brown eyes flashing. "When you said the only way to help Carly was with the truth. So tell me the truth and I'll tell it to you too. Where is Carly? Do you know?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

She let out a relived breath. "Good. That's good. Is she okay? Can I speak with her? Have you?"

"I have," I admitted. "But I don't think she's feeling very talkative right now. Mom, there's something's I need to tell you."

She nodded. "There are things I need to tell you too. But you can start. So tell me. How did you find out you're a witch?"

I told her everything, well, almost everything. I told her about Mrs. Terwilliger, I told her about learning magic, about using it against the Warriors. I told her about Genevieve and how the meeting with Carly went.

She sat quietly and listened attentively the whole time. When I was finished she reached over and took my hand.

"I would like to meet this history teacher of yours," she said with a soft smile. "I'm glad you have someone here you can turn to for help." I almost told her about Adrian then. I hadn't mentioned him to her throughout the story. I was afraid if I mentioned him casually she'd see right through me and if I said we were dating that she'd be disgusted with me. But she kept talking so I closed my mouth and tried to concentrate on what she was saying. "Sweetie, I'm sorry that I never told you the truth. We thought we were protecting you by keeping magic from you."

"So Dad knows too," I confirmed.

"He does," she said. "He's known since we met. He never liked magic, but he was going to leave the Alchemists so he could be with me anyway. I thought it was the most romantic thing ever. Sometimes I wish he had."

"Why didn't he?" It didn't seem like Dad to consider leaving the Alchemists, but I'd seen old photos of my parents. In the pictures back before they'd had Carly, they looked insanely in love. I was pretty sure those pictures, those memories, were the only reason Mom put up with Dad anymore.

"Because I was in danger," Mom said bluntly. "There was a group of families who had created a coven. Separately, the families weren't all that powerful, but together they were strong. Stronger than either of my parent's families were. They wiped our lines out. My parents were survivors of that coven's massacre. The coven became stronger, more aggressive. Eventually they almost wiped themselves out through sheer greed and infighting. But there are still those who hunt us. I realize now that it may have been a stupid decision to keep all of this from you, but when Carly was born it just seemed like the right move. And Daddy's job with the Alchemists seemed like the perfect hiding spot. No one would look for a witch in an organization that hates magic." She shook her head, her eyes tearing up a bit. "It wasn't until you became an Alchemist that I realized what a mistake I'd made, but by then it was too late. I didn't want you to ever have to deal with power hungry witches hunting you down the way they did my parents."

I squeezed her hand. "Mom, it's okay. Really."

"No, it's not." She sniffed and blinked her tears away. "I never wanted you to have to deal with this, Sydney. And now here you are, battling a power hungry witch who's kidnapped Carly! Lying to you didn't make anything better. In fact, it probably only made it worse."

I bit my lip. I couldn't really disagree with her because being lied to never made anything better, but I was almost afraid of what my life would be like if she had told me the truth. I wouldn't be an Alchemist, which would mean I never would have met Rose, which would mean I never would have met Adrian. And if I hadn't met Adrian, well... Both of our lives would be different and I didn't really want to think about that.

"Let's talk about this later," I said finally. "Right now we need to focus on the plan to get Carly back."

"You have a plan?" She looked at me hopefully and smiled. "Of course you do. You're always so prepared, Sydney. My brilliant girl. Have you tried a location spell yet?"

"We're doing one the day after tomorrow. Then we've got a semi-decent plan to distract Genevieve's coven while Ms. Terwilliger deals with her sister."

"Who's we?" she asked. "Surely you're not planning on attacking a powerful coven with just you and your teacher?" Her tone said that that better not be the plan.

I smiled a little and stood. "Come with me and I'll explain everything."

###

It took less than five minutes to get to Adrian's apartment. I explained to my mom that she wouldn't be able to meet the others involved until our planned meeting the day after tomorrow. But I thought she wouldn't mind meeting Adrian, since he had been a part of this since the beginning. I just wasn't sure if she'd have an issue with him being Moroi or not. I think, more than anything, that that was why I brought her here. I wanted to gauge how she acted around my boyfriend.

When I pulled up in front of Adrian's building my mom's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Is that a 1967 Mustang?" she asked even though she already knew.

She jumped out of Latte and started slowly circling the car, stopping every now and then to examine a detail that caught her attention or to peer through the window.

"The leather is in mint condition. The whole car is. It must have cost a fortune," she raved.

"A small one," an unexpected voice said from behind us. I spun around and spotted Adrian on the sidewalk, his head cocked as he looked back and forth between me and my mother. "But it was totally worth it," he smirked.

My mother, in her excitement over the car, didn't seem to notice that Adrian was Moroi. Of maybe she just didn't care. "This is your car?" she asked. "How long have you had it? Have you had to replace anything? It looks like it's all original to this model..."

Mom could go on and on about cars. Unfortunately for her, Adrian couldn't. He shrugged and confessed he'd only had the car for a couple of months. "You'll have to ask Sydney about the rest," he said charmingly. "I don't know nearly a quarter of what she does. And I'm guessing she has you to thank for that knowledge, Mrs. Sage?"

My mom smiled brightly at him, realizing he was a friend of mine. "I suppose I taught her an appreciation for cars. I'm sorry, I'm Deborah. And you are?" she asked holding her hand out to him.

I opened my mouth to make the introductions but Adrian beat me to it. He shook her hand, grinning from ear to ear. "Adrian Ivashkov. It's a pleasure to meet you, Deborah. And you know," he said, touching a finger to his chin and looking between my mom and me. "Even though I can tell just by looking at you that you're related, you don't seem nearly old enough to be someone's mother. Are you sure you're not Sydney's other older sister?"

I rolled my eyes at the ridiculously cheesy line, but Mom seemed amused by it.

"You're a charmer, aren't you, Adrian?" she grinned back. She looked at me and said, "I'm surprised he hasn't swept you off your feet already."

I shook my head, hoping to hide the blush that was spreading up my neck and cheeks. "Adrian, I'm sorry to bother you, but do you mind if we come in? We were discussing Carly and, you know, the _plan_."

Adrian was smirking at me, but he nodded and led us into his apartment without hesitation. When we got inside I realized his art studio was in full form today. We must have interrupted him while he was doing homework.

"Oh!" Mom exclaimed as she came to a halt in Adrian's living room. "Did you paint all of these?"

Adrian seemed to remember that his apartment was filled with paintings and supplies so he started to clean things up a bit. "Yeah. Most are for school projects," he said as he pulled a canvas off of an easel and placed it against a wall, stacked with a few other paintings. He quickly pulled a plastic covering over them.

My mother was having none of that though. Intrigued by his suspicious behavior she walked over, pushed past Adrian, and pulled the covering off the painting. Adrian made a sound of protest, but clearly it was too late. My mom was already looking.

"This is..." she said slowly, choosing her words carefully as she studied the painting.

Adrian looked over at me sheepishly and my stomach dropped out. What did he paint? I walked over, my eyes widening when I saw the canvas my mother was looking at.

"_Oh my God!_" I mouthed angrily at him, behind Mom's head.

He mouthed back, "_Sorry! I didn't know you were coming._"

"This is...," my mom said again. "It's excellent. Beautiful." She turned and smiled at the both of us. "Did you pose?" she asked me.

I looked back at the painting. It was of me, standing in the middle of the desert, what I assumed was my aura glittering around me in yellow and purple swirls, completely _nude_. "No. I didn't pose," was all I could say.

"Is it from memory?" Mom asked, sounding amazed. "It's very good if it's from memory. I had a cousin who was a painter and she always had the toughest time getting people right if they weren't standing directly in front of her."

"Mom!" I was mortified. "Some guy paints a picture of me naked and all you can ask is if I posed or if he painted it from memory? You're not in the least bit concerned by this?" I gesture, a little wildly, at the canvas.

"Oh, sweetie, it's a painting," she said with a roll of her eyes toward Adrian. He laughed a little, which only frustrated me more. "You're a spirit user, correct?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I can sense it," she said and pointed to the purple swirls on the painting. "That's her aura?"

"Yeah," he said, looking comfortable now. "Whenever I look at Sydney she's practically glowing. I think it tells more about her personality than anything else I could have painted ever could."

Mom nodded, inspecting the painting further. This was making me so uncomfortable.

"Mom—"

"Sydney, look at it," she said, gesturing to the canvas. "Do you see the love and devotion put into this piece? It's in every stroke. The pose, the way your aura is wrapped around you. It's almost reverent." She turned to Adrian. "You're very good."

"Thank you, ma'am." He smiled brightly for her, something passing between them in that moment.

"Oh," she swatted her hand at him. "Please, call me Debbie."

"Debbie?" I asked incredulously. "No one calls you Debbie. Dad doesn't even call you that."

"That's because Dad has always called me Deb. and I like when he calls me that, but my friends have always called me Debbie," Mom said.

"What friends?" I asked.

"I have friends," she huffed. "And if I'm going to be friends with anyone it's going to be my daughter's boyfriend."

"What makes you think he's my boyfriend?" I asked, indignant just because I was embarrassed.

Mom's eyes widened and she pointed toward the painting. "He better be your boyfriend if he's painting you naked."

At that Adrian laughed and my tension started to seep away. I smiled a little and said, "Can we please cover this painting up now? It's making me very uncomfortable."

Mom stepped away from the painting and Adrian put the plastic sheeting back in place. "So," he said as he gestured for us to sit down on his plaid couch. "We're discussing the plan to get Carly back?"

We immediately fell into the story of what happened when Carly showed up at the warehouse that night, but this time Adrian made sure all of his actions—aside from when we made out in the car afterwards—were accounted.

###

"It was really nice to meet you, Adrian," Mom said, shaking his hand. It was clear throughout our conversation that she thought Adrian was my boyfriend, but neither of us had ever clarified our relationship status to her. I could tell she liked him though and that made me happy. "I'll be in town until... well, for awhile, so I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you. I'd really love to get a chance to look at your car. It's a beauty."

Adrian told her it was great to meet her too, and then sealed the deal as boyfriend material in my mother's eyes by grabbing his keys from a table by the front door and holding them out to her. "You guys can borrow it if you want. I'll trade off cars with Sydney later."

Mom looked like she wanted to agree so I jumped in quickly. "That's sweet, but I really need to get back to school and if you let her drive that car I won't be back for a long, long time," I told Adrian.

Mom laughed. "She's right. A Mustang like that? I'd take it on one hell of a joyride. Thank you for the offer though." She turned to me. "We should go now, Sydney. You need to get back to your school. I don't want to get you in trouble."

I nodded. It was getting closer to curfew now and I did have some homework I needed to get done before everything went down this weekend.

Mom looked back and forth between me and Adrian, realizing I wasn't going to follow her out right away. "I'll just... be out here. Looking at the Mustang some more. Take your time," she added with a knowing smile.

Once she was outside I turned to Adrian. He was smiling at me.

"I like your mom," he said, taking a step towards me.

"I like my mom, too," I said, leaning into him and wrapping my arms around his neck. He kissed me softly, pulling me closer to him.

"I'm sorry about the painting," he said when we pulled back. "I can get rid of it if you want. I didn't mean for it to make you uncomfortable. And I definitely never meant for your mom to see it."

"It's fine." I shook my head. "I was just embarrassed because, you know. It's personal and my mom saw it." He nodded. "But I don't want you to get rid of it. It was beautiful and I'd really like to look at it again when I'm not cringing because my mom is standing next to me."

He chuckled and leaned into me. "It's actually pretty cute," he whispered near my ear as he peppered kissed along my neck. "You being all shy in front of your mom. But she seems cool with us being together, Sage. Let her be cool with us." He kissed my jaw and pulled back to look at me.

"I know," I whispered back. "I'm just not used to that side of her. I've seen her act like that with Carly's boyfriends, though she's never taken to anyone the way she took to you." He smirked at that. "Believe me, I'm glad that she approves of us. If she didn't it wouldn't change anything, but it's still nice to have."

"I know," he said, leaning in and brushing his lips against mine. "It is nice. At least we had one parents approval."

I agreed.

"Hey," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist and somehow pulling me closer. "Are we still on for our date tomorrow? I've got everything planned, but we can change it if you want to spend time with your mom. I know you haven't seen her in a while and with everything going on with Carly..."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "It's our first real date. I don't want to cancel. Especially because of everything going on. I'll see Mom at the meeting. Tomorrow is _our_ day."

He kissed my cheek, right below my eye, and then leaned his forehead against mine. "I'll pick you up at six then."

I untangled myself from him, however reluctantly, and headed for the door. "That's perfect. I can't wait."

I threw him one last smile over my shoulder before leaving to take my mother back to her hotel.


	22. Chapter 22

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Another update! We're getting close now. 5 days until TIS and only one (possibly 2) more chapters left. I haven't been a huge fan of the last few chapters but I really like this one. Hope you do too! Review and let me know!**

It figures that the one time I really, really, really needed Kristen and Julia's help picking out an outfit was the time I was about to go out with a guy they thought was my brother. I had briefly considered lying to them, again, and claiming to have a date with a guy from a different school, but the last thing I needed was for someone to catch me with Adrian and start throwing around accusations. Thank god I still had Jill.

She singlehandedly put together an entire look that she claimed would "drive Adrian crazy", but kept to my fashion sense. I had a feeling she was only keeping to "my fashion sense" because Adrian liked the way I dressed. Angeline tried to help, but her suggestions didn't really mesh with the clothing styles I had in my closet. I did, however, wear the belt she liked better out of the two Jill had picked. She beamed when I put it on and I felt guilty for not taking any of her other suggestions seriously, even if some of them would have landed me in detention for the rest of the week.

"So are you guys gonna do it?" Angeline asked as I was checking my outfit in the mirror one final time.

"Excuse me?" I practically screeched. "Angeline! You can't ask something like that! It's not... We're not..."

"It's not polite," Jill said while trying to hide a grin.

"What do you even know about it?" I asked Angeline. I pulled down on the chiffon top Jill had suggested I wear over one of my camisoles.

"About sex?" she asked. "Plenty. I've never done it, if that's what you mean, but I know a thing or two—"

"Okay, okay. We're not really interested in hearing your thing or two," I interrupted quickly. It was bad enough I had to talk her out of multiple suspensions for all of the times she'd been caught with boys around campus. I really didn't want to know the specifics of any of those encounters. "What I meant was how did you know about me and Adrian? I mean, that we're serious."

"You guys weren't serious before?" she asked with a perplexed look on her face. "I thought you two had been dating awhile."

Jill laughed. "They might as well have been!"

I rolled my eyes. "Laugh all you want. At least we're together now. And no, Angeline," I said to her. "We only just started dating. This is our first date."

She shook her head, still looking bewildered, but said immediately, "Well, in that case, don't do it. Not on the first date. Even I know better than that."

We all laughed, me mostly at the idea of me doing anything like _that_. But when Jill and Angeline left to go back to their room and Jill whispered quietly in my ear as she passed by I definitely wasn't laughing anymore.

"Don't worry about tonight," she'd said softly. "Or about what Angeline said. Just do what feels right. Whatever happens happens."

As I walked down to the lobby of the girl's dorm to meet Adrian I couldn't help but wonder what she meant by that. I knew she didn't want me to be nervous, and I really wasn't. But "whatever happens happens"? Really? Was she giving me some sort of go ahead? Or maybe it was some spirit bond thing? Maybe Adrian was thinking about doing it tonight and that was slipping through the bond to Jill?

All of my neurotic worrying came to a screeching halt when I walked through the lobby doors and saw Adrian leaning against his car, openly gawking at me.

I wasn't even dressed up, but he stared at me the way he had when I'd worn the red dress at Halloween. I looked down at my tailored khakis and the transparent blue chiffon blouse Jill had suggested to see if there was anything out of place. Once I made sure my outfit was in order I gave him a questioning look.

"You're beautiful," he said softly as I came closer. He opened the door for me and then ran around to the driver's seat as I got in.

"Thanks," I said, once seated. I blushed a little at the compliment. "But you've seen me look a thousand times nicer than this. What was with the staring?"

Adrian smiled at me as he pulled the car away from the curb. "First of all, you always look beautiful, no matter what," he said, his smile turning into a smirk. "And second, I wasn't looking at your clothes back there. I was looking at you. And all I could think was that you were with me. That we're together. Just knowing you're mine puts a smile on my face."

I fought a smile and shook my head. "Oh, _I'm yours_, huh?"

He grinned at me. "If you want to be," he said. "But, as I see it, it's only fair considering I'm all yours."

I couldn't fight back my smile anymore as we pulled out onto the street and headed to our destination.

###

Adrian hadn't told me where he was taking me, so I was astonished when we pulled into a parking space near the same park Brayden had taken me to on our first date.

At first, I thought we must be going to one of the restaurants bordering the park, but then Adrian grabbed my hand and a picnic basket he'd had hidden in the backseat and led me to an empty spot on the grass. All around us, people were starting to gather around a stage in the center of the park, some in groups and some clearly couples out on romantic dates. I smiled to myself, thinking that I was a part of one of those couples.

Adrian set out a blanket and we sat down. He opened the picnic basket and inside were all kinds of foods. My attention left him and the basket as I heard a commotion coming from the stage. People carrying instruments were climbing onto it. Violins, flutes, cellos, clarinets. Nearly fifty people climbed onto that stage as I sat watching, awestruck.

"A concert?" I asked, still looking at the stage. "You brought me to a concert?"

"Do you not like concerts or something?" Adrian asked, concerned, and I turned towards him.

"No, it's not that, it's just..." I shrugged. "It's an orchestra. I didn't peg you for the classical type."

Adrian smiled and handed me a grilled chicken wrap. "Well, I'm not, usually. I mean, I've got nothing against classical music, but I'm more of classic rock type of guy." He pulled out a bottle of diet Coke and tossed it to me. "This just seemed more romantic, not to mention more geographically practical, than a Rolling Stones concert."

I laughed and unscrewed the cap on my Coke. "Well, this is amazing, so thank you," I said, then took a sip of the drink.

He shrugged and stretched out next to me on the blanket. He looked so good, laying there in his dark jeans and blue bottom down shirt that he wore open on top of a grey t-shirt. He had a light jacket over it, because the temperature had begun to drop when the sun went down.

I pulled my own coat tighter around me and zipped it up.

"You cold?" Adrian asked, leaning up on one elbow. He patted the spot next to him. "Come here, I'll keep you warm."

I rolled my eyes, but I did scootch over to sit next to him and he sat up, wrapping an arm around my shoulders while we watched the orchestra warm up.

By the time the concert was in full swing Adrian already had me lying next to him on the blanket, cuddling and whispering and sometimes kissing. I was having an awesome time, just relaxing and enjoying his company and the music while lying under the stars. I couldn't think of anything more perfect than this moment.

That was, until Adrian smoothed the hair back from my face and said, "I wish I knew how to describe how much I love you."

Feeling brave, I pulled Adrian down to me and kissed him once, softly. "I think I know how," I whispered. Then I kissed him again, but this time it was full of passion. It was like I was trying to put as much want, longing and need into the kiss as possible.

Adrian groaned as his hands skimmed up the sides of my torso and I knew we were pushing the limits of what was acceptable in public. Maybe even legal in public. I ran my fingers through his hair, completely uncaring, using the grip to pull his head an inch or so from mine and looked into his beautiful, green eyes. I smiled playfully.

This was the moment I'd been waiting for. This was natural and easy and right. The words rolled right off of my tongue as I said, "But since I can't think of a way to describe it in words either, I'll have to settle for I love you, too."

Adrian's eyes went wide and filled with awe. It was the expression I loved putting on his face. His grin slowly spread from ear to ear and he pulled forward from my grip on his hair and pressed his mouth to mine. I could still feel him smiling against my lips before we both got swept away in the feel of each other. I wanted to roll him onto his back and crawl on top of him. It was an urge I'd never felt before, even when we'd made out in my room at Court. It was also connected to a lot of other urges that were starting to make themselves known. But I couldn't give in to those urges, right? This was our first date. And then there was Jill and the bond to think about...

Thoughts of Jill had me remembering her words from earlier and suddenly I realized she'd already told me not to worry about that.

_Just do what feels right. Whatever happens happens._

Well, this certainly felt right to me.

I pulled away, barely able to catch my breath and leaned into his ear. "Let's get out of here," I said carefully.

I had never done this sort of thing before and, honestly, despite what had happened at Court, I really believed that Adrian would be the one to initiate anything truly sexual between us. But I knew what my body wanted, what my heart wanted, what Adrian wanted and I heard myself say the words calmly, almost playfully.

Adrian lifted his head and just looked at me for a minute. He didn't say anything, I didn't say anything. We just assessed each other and our own feelings.

"Yeah?" he asked, cautiously, to make sure we were on the same page.

"Yeah," I smiled.

He was on his feet in seconds, helping me up and already gathering our things. I laughed, but agreed with his sentiment. I wanted to be alone with him as quickly as possible.

It took us an unreasonable amount of time to get back to his apartment, but that might have just been because of my nerves. Deciding to spend the night with Adrian had taken all of thirty seconds, but for every minute his lips were off mine I felt the doubt creeping in.

What if this is the wrong choice? What if I'm not ready? What if we regret it in the morning? And worst of all, what if he loses interest in me after we do it?

I knew it was a ridiculous thought. Adrian had proven over and over again that he loved me. But that didn't eliminate my fear as we walked into his dark apartment.

He flipped on the light switch and went to place the picnic basket of food on the kitchen counter. While he was doing that my eyes fastened onto the painting he'd done of me standing naked in the desert. I walked over and flipped the plastic sheeting off of it, while I listened to Adrian opening and closing the refrigerator door.

I took in the painting, trying to memorize every detail. The desert setting, the way he'd posed me, the expression on my face. In the painting I was looking up through my lashes, my brown eyes wide and happy to match the smile on my face. Even though he'd painted me naked there was nothing sexual about it. It wasn't gratuitous nudity or anything like that. I was naked, but the way he'd wrapped my aura around my body covered up all the... parts. Like my mom had said, it was reverent. That more than anything wiped away all of my worries about my decision to stay with Adrian tonight.

Adrian's arms circled my waist as he came up behind me and I leaned back against him. "You really do love me, don't you?" I said, almost in wonder.

Adrian squeezed me tight and let his head fall to my shoulder. "You know I do."

I turned in his arms and wrapped myself around him. "I know," I whispered as I placed a kiss on his cheek. "It's just that this," I gestured to the painting behind me. "This is how you see me, isn't it? Beautiful, wild, free."

Adrian smirked at me as he stroked my cheek. "I just tell it how it is, Sage."

I laughed and kissed him and it didn't take long until we were once again making out, this time on his plaid sofa.

After a while, I started to push him onto his back on the couch, the way I'd imagined doing in the park, but he flinched away. I was so startled I sat up and backed away from him, thinking I'd done something wrong.

"That damn spring!" Adrian complained, as he stood up. "Come here, we'll go in the bedroom. That's more comfortable anyway."

He offered me his hand and pulled me to him. His mouth quickly found its way to my neck, kissing, sucking and scraping along my skin in a way that made me tangle my fingers in his hair.

It wasn't until we were actually in his bedroom that I became fully aware of the situation. I'd never been in his room before, and that cautious Alchemist part of me took in the yellow walls and blue satin sheets with interest. The room was more plain than I would have thought. The only thing adorning the walls were three paintings, all of lilies. They all had the golden lily at the center, surrounded by streaks of red. The one I had seen before, the day he'd kissed me for the first time. The lily looked like it was almost incased in a crystalline blue, which I realized now represented the cold, distant demeanor I'd had when we'd first come to Palm Springs. I was shocked that I hadn't noticed it the first time I'd seen it. It made perfect sense.

The second painting still had the blue paint surrounding the lily, but there was less of it this time, almost like the fiery red streaks inside had melted it over time.

Adrian pulled on my ear slightly with his teeth and it took me a few seconds to become coherent again. Once I was, my eyes drifted to the third painting. It wasn't hanging on the wall the way the others were. It was propped up on his dresser, like he hadn't gotten around to hanging it yet. The blue was now entirely gone, replaced by a purple glow that seemed to radiate from the center of the lily. The purple was run through with red and gold paint.

As bad as I was at identifying the meaning behind most of Adrian's paintings, these I understood. The last one was almost a perfect representation of my feelings in this moment. All passion and love, but still me. Still the brainy Alchemist who's aura was a bright yellow, according to Adrian. I stopped looking around the room, closed my eyes and just enjoyed the feel of Adrian's hands as they pushed my blouse over my head.

Slowly he helped me lower myself to his mattress. So slowly, in fact, that I was certain he was afraid I'd freak out and run away. But I wouldn't do that this time. I wanted this, possibly more than he did.

We kissed for a long time, and it was so much more intense than it had ever been before. I wasn't able to concentrate on anything but the feel of his hands and his lips and the way his body pressed into mine. Eventually, I was aware that we were both starting to lose more and more of our clothes. First my camisole, than his shirt, my bra, than the khakis Adrian had teased me about so many times in the past.

Once we were both in our underwear we went back to kissing for awhile. We were happy to explore all of the newly exposed skin and got lost in the feel of each other. When Adrian's lips found the spot just behind my ear I made a noise that I'd never heard anyone make before, let alone me. I would have been embarrassed under different circumstances but his responding groan was enough distract me.

As we kissed I kept feeling his hand start to drift down between our bodies, but he would always pull it back up and touch my hair or my cheek. I knew what he wanted and I was nervous, but not in a bad way. I wanted it, too. The third time I felt his hand start to wander I pulled away from his kiss.

"Don't stop," I breathed heavily.

Adrian froze for a second before pressing his forehead to mine and looking me in the eye. His hands came to my cheeks and brushed my hair out of my face. I felt sweaty and sticky and could only imagine what a mess my hair must have been. That was a part of the reason I knew being with Adrian was the right decision. Anyone else would have made me feel too self conscious.

"Are you sure?" he asked. His voice was soft, gentle, and a lot calmer than I would have expected after everything we'd just done.

I was nervous, but I wasn't scared. The absolute certainty I felt with him told me that this was right. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him. "You're the only thing I've ever been sure about in my entire life," I whispered roughly.

It must have been a whole minute before he finally broke eye contact, but when he did it was only to lower his mouth back to mine. After that it didn't take long for us to shed the rest of our clothes.

Everything that happened after that was a bit of a blur. A pleasurable blur. It was sweet and fantastic and better than I ever could have imagined. Afterwards, we laid tangled in each other, my head resting on his chest, his arms holding me close.

"Are you okay?" Adrian asked softly.

I looked up at him, at his messy hair and bright eyes, and couldn't help myself. I shifted so I could kiss him and said, "I'm great."

He smiled and pulled me down on top of him, kissing me for a while. I decided kissing Adrian was now officially my favorite pastime. Eventually my head ended up back on his chest, my eyes starting to drift shut.

I couldn't believe that I'd actually done that. Sex was a huge deal and I had thought that when I finally did it I'd be... Well, I didn't know, exactly, but I hadn't thought it would feel like this. Like the world had just clicked into place. Being here, wrapped up in Adrian, it was like the outside world didn't exist. I liked the feeling. It was like nothing could ever touch us or come in between us, but I knew that wasn't true. Reality was waiting for us right outside of his comforting yellow walls.

Tomorrow was the day Ms. Terwilliger and I were going to track Genevieve and then there would be no turning back. We'd figure out where she was and then finish our plan of—

"Oh, no!" I murmured, sitting up suddenly, pulling the satin sheets up around me.

Adrian jolted up with me. I must have scared him, because he looked panicked. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I felt bad and moved to sit next to him, leaning back against the headboard. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered something."

Something absolutely awful.

Adrian relaxed a little and leaned back next to me. He didn't push me for an answer to the question that I could see so clearly in his eyes. He simply sat and waited, taking my hand and tracing my fingers with his. It tickled a little, but the gesture relaxed me somewhat.

"I just remembered I was supposed to help Ms. Terwilliger with a scrying spell," I said.

He looked over at the clock on his nightstand. "Do you need to go? It's not that late." He smiled at me. A real, genuine smile that set my stomach into a flutter of butterflies. "I mean, I'd rather we stay here, obviously, but I don't mind running over–"

"No, it's not tonight," I said. "I was supposed to help her tomorrow."

"Then what's the matter?" he asked. He looked confused, but pulled me close and traced my tattoo with his fingers. I really loved it when he did that.

"It's..." It was extremely embarrassing, even after how intimate we'd just been. "The spell, the one we used to find Marcus? It can only be done... I mean, it only works when it's done by a-a virgin."

I knew I was blushing and it only got worse when he realized what I was saying and started laughing. "It's not funny," I complained. "Do you know how awkward that conversation is going to be? 'Oh, I'm sorry. I can't help you find your psychotic sister so we can stop her from going through with her evil plan. I was just so caught up with my boyfriend last night I ended up de-virginizing myself!' Yeah. That's going to be a lot of fun."

Adrian was still laughing, but he managed to get control of himself when he saw the look in my eyes. "Sydney, it's not that bad. I'm sure she has another way to find her sister. She has to, right? She's got a ton of spell books, that spell is probably just the easiest or something."

He ran a hand up and down my back trying to soothe me. I relaxed a little and leaned into him. "You're right. It'll be fine. I'm sure she knows a different spell. I'm just freaking out over nothing."

My head was on his shoulder so I couldn't see his face, but I could feel it when he started shaking with laughter. I rolled my eyes and moved away from him.

"I'm sorry, I am," he said, but didn't stop laughing. "I screwed up your whole spell. Literally."

He busted out laughing again and I smacked his arm. But, as worried and frustrated as I was, I couldn't help but laugh with him. That was one of the things I loved most about him, his ability to effect my mood. And he usually only effected it for the better.

I started pondering solutions now that I felt a little calmer, or at least how to word my explanation. Who would've thought that I would be the one to ruin a plan because of my irresponsible behavior? The idea made me laugh even harder. Maybe Brayden had been right about me. Maybe, deep down inside, I wasn't quite as steady and responsible as everyone seemed to think I was. As I curled back into Adrian's side, I sort of hoped so. I liked being responsible and reliable, but every now and then, it felt nice to do something unpredictable.

"Everything's going to be okay, Sage," he said, pulling me back down to the mattress. "Don't worry. No matter what we'll figure it out."

I wrapped my arms around him and nodded into his chest, still feeling giddy. He lightly dragged his hands up and down my back, shooting sparks across my bare skin with every stroke.

"Would you really call me your boyfriend?" he asked out of nowhere. "Because you said 'caught up with my boyfriend' before."

I looked up at him. "Of course. I told you, I love you."

He smiled and it was the same as the first time I'd said I loved him. His grin was practically from ear to ear. Somehow he managed to pull me closer while he nuzzled my neck. "I am sorry we messed up your spell. That sucks, but I don't regret it."

"Me neither," I whispered. "And I'm sure it'll all be fine, I just dread having to tell her about... this." I gestured to the two of us. "And what if my mom finds out?" I bit my lip, trying not to think about it.

"What's done is done and she won't make a big deal. It's not like they didn't know we were together. But there's no need to agonize over it, I guess," he said. I could feel him smirking into my hair. "In fact, I might know a way to take your mind off of it."

I laughed and we pushed reality away for awhile longer.

###

I woke up to the sun streaming through a window.

I was confused at first because the window in my dorm didn't allow for the sun to hit my bed at this time of morning. But then something shifted in bed beside me and I remembered that I wasn't in my dorm room.

I rolled over and came face to face with Adrian's bare chest. Once I was sure he was still asleep I took a moment to just admire it. His skin was smooth and toned, hard muscles running just below it. Muscles that I remembered feeling in action as he propped himself up above me last night.

I blushed at the memories that rushed through my head. The heady kisses, the smooth silk sheets wrapped around us, the feeling of our bodies moving together. It was almost too much, like it must have been a dream. Except that the evidence that it was real was sleeping next to me. Not to mention the soreness in my body that I was just beginning to notice.

I shifted a little, trying to see the alarm clock on the other side of Adrian. Even though a part of me wanted to curl back into Adrian's side, I knew I needed to get up and get back to Amberwood. I'd probably have to deal with a lecture from Mrs. Weathers about staying out all night, but I couldn't care less. I just wanted to go, get it over with and then get to Ms. Terwilliger's house for our group meeting.

I had been planning on introducing everyone today and getting them all on the same page, then tonight I'd do the location spell and tomorrow we would put everything into motion. Now that the location spell was out of the question, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Our whole plan was based off of us finding the location and taking advantage of the element of surprise.

I pushed the thoughts aside for later, and rolled up onto my elbow to see over Adrian. 7am. Perfect. Because it was Saturday and Mrs. Weathers didn't come in until 8am, if I hurried, I might be able to skip the lecture. Just as I was pulling back to my side of the bed, a hand wrapped around my waist and knocked me off balance. I landed with a huff on Adrian's chest.

"Mmm," he sighed into my hair. His fingers stroked down my spine and came to rest on my lower back. "Don't get up yet. I want to savor this moment."

I dipped my head to press a kiss against his chest, something I'd been wanting to do since I woke up. "Why?" I asked with a smile. "Are you not planning to invite me over again?"

His hands went lower, sliding under the sheet that was still wrapped around my waist, causing me jump a little and then giggle because it tickled. "I plan on having you here all the time. Hell, you can move in if you want. But this is the first time I'm waking up with Sydney Sage naked in my bed," he whispered near my ear. "This is one of those epic, life altering moments that just needs to be savored."

I didn't laugh or tease him back or do any of the things that I probably should have done in that moment. Instead I just looked at him for a long time, before sitting up and straddling his bare chest, the way I'd been thinking of doing all night. I leaned down and pressed my lips against his in a hard kiss that he returned with just as much fervor.

As the kiss heated up and it became clear I wasn't going to be leaving this bed anytime soon, I couldn't help but think, _this is totally worth getting a lecture for._

###

Introducing my mother to two witches, two dhampirs and another Moroi was not as awkward as I had thought it might be. What was awkward was trying to introduce her to them while Jill kept giving me knowing looks when she thought no one was looking.

On two separate occasions I saw Adrian give her a look that could only mean cease and desist. But it was no use. Even Eddie had given me a long look once I'd gone back to Amberwood and had managed to get away from Mrs. Weathers lecture to get changed and drive everyone over to Ms. Terwilliger's.

He'd looked at me through narrowed eyes and said, "You look happy today. You're glowing a little."

I was horrified and ecstatic all at the same time. I didn't really like that people could see the effect spending the night with Adrian had on me, but on the other hand I was too happy to get worked very up over it.

"And you are a practicing witch, Mrs. Sage?" Marcus asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. Which was good since they had started drifting to the the things Adrian and I had done just a few hours ago in his bed after we'd woken up.

"I haven't really practiced in years," Mom said, "but I remember enough to be useful in a fight. And please, call me Debbie."

I rolled my eyes at that as Marcus gave her a charming smile. "Well, Debbie, that's good because we're certainly going to need your help. The plan is basically to divide and conquer, except they have more people than we do. But, from what I know of Genevieve, she'll know it's us and drag Carly off to make sure we can't get to her."

"One group will cause a distraction, causing most of Gene's coven to run blindly into battle. There won't be much of one, but I'm hoping there will be enough ruckus for Sydney and I to get through and find Carly," Ms. Terwilliger added.

Mom nodded, but didn't look like she agreed. "So we'll all essentially just make a bunch of noise outside while you take my daughter to go fight a powerful witch. And,_ if you survive_, my other daughter will hopefully want to come back with you."

Ms. Terwilliger smiled like she had been expecting her reaction. "Sydney's been training. She knows enough to take care if herself, but she's really only going in to get Carly. I'll take care of my sister and Sydney will take care of hers." She reached over and put a reassuring hand on my mom's arm. "I'm willing to bet you're a stronger fighter than Sydney is, even without having practiced magic in awhile, but that's why we need you outside with the others if this plan is going to work. If the coven isn't distracted, then we'll have no shot against Gene."

"How are we planning on taking her out, anyway?" Marcus asked, switching the focus away from my level of participation in the plan. "Once you're in, what are you going to do?"

"Can't you just yell 'Die, bitch, die' in Latin and see what happens?" Adrian asked from his spot next to Jill on the couch.

Marcus shook his head, wistfully. "If only."

"Are we killing her?" Eddie asked. He didn't sound incensed by the idea, but it also didn't sound like he was all gung ho about it either. At his question, every eye in the room turned on Ms. Terwilliger.

She took a deep breath and looked up at Eddie. "No, we aren't. Not unless we have to."

We all nodded in agreement. No one here wanted to kill anyone if it could be helped. I just hoped that it wouldn't come down to that.

"So," Ms. Terwilliger said with a clap of her hands. She perked right back up as she glanced over at me. "We'll do the location spell tonight—"

"Actually," I interrupted, trying not to blush. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She smiled a little and motioned for me to follow her into the other room. Mom and Marcus both gave me strange looks as we left the living room, but I ignored them. I'd meant to talk to her about this before everyone had shown up, but by the time we'd gotten here Adrian and Marcus were already sitting in the living room and I'd had to pick up my mom on the way over. There just hadn't been a moment where I could get Ms. Terwilliger alone and tell her the situation.

Once we were safely tucked away in her spell room she looked at me expectantly. Clearly she was waiting for me to start. I cleared my throat.

"Um, I can't... I can't do the location spell," I stuttered in a rush. "Because I'm not–I'm not a virgin anymore." My words practically tripped over each other as they left my mouth.

I was blushing and looking at my feet. When I finally dared a glance up at Ms. Terwilliger she was watching me with one eyebrow raised. I looked back to my feet in a hurry.

Finally I looked up when I heard her let out a stifled laugh. "Is that all, Miss Melbourne?" she asked with a smile. "I thought you were going to tell me something terrible."

"It is terrible!" I cried. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know," she said matter-of-factly. "You were the one that was there. Was it terrible?" She threw me a grin. "That boy certainly doesn't look like he'd be terrible."

I grimaced. "That's not what I meant and you know it! I meant now we have no way to find Genevieve and Carly!"

"Oh, calm down," she said with a dismissive wave of her fingers. "There are other ways to find someone. Actually, I already had a backup plan for just such an occasion."

"You did?" I asked, feeling better knowing that she had something planned. But, had she thought that this would happen? "Were you counting on the fact that I'd have sex before we found the coven?"

"Wasn't counting on it," she said, heading for the door. "But I figured it might happen. I mean, just look at that boy. I don't blame you."

I threw my hands over my face, hoping to somehow stop the blush that was crawling across my skin at my teacher's words.

"Sydney has come up with a great plan," Ms. Terwilliger announced the moment she was back in the living room. Adrian gave me a small smile as I stepped into the room behind her. "We won't be waiting until tonight to do the location spell after all."

"But that's the only spell that can—" Marcus began.

"No, it isn't," Ms. Terwilliger cut him off. "Sydney suggested we use a simpler location spell, one that can be performed right now."

"But it won't work if Gene's blocking it," Marcus said, sounding irritated. "We've tried."

"Not the way Sydney suggested," she said. I looked at her, confused because I hadn't suggested anything at all, but trying to keep my emotions off of my face. "A simple spell would work if the power used during the process was amplified." She glanced over at Adrian on the couch. "_Somehow_."

Adrian got it before my mom or Marcus did. "You want me to be the battery booster!" he laughed. "And that will work? It'll cut through whatever Genevieve's using to block the spell?"

"In theory, yes. It should cut right through," Ms. Terwilliger said. "And we can do it right now."

Marcus was smiling. "That might actually work," he said, looking at me like he was impressed by my idea. Except, you know, it hadn't been my idea at all. It had never even occurred to me.

"So what are we waiting for?" Angeline asked, sounding impatient. "Go do your spell so we can whomp on these bad guys and save your sister."

I grinned at her. "That's exactly what we're gonna do."

Ms. Terwilliger gestured for me and Adrian to follow her into the back room and went about explaining the spell I'd used to find Sonya that time. She told me how to do it while siphoning some of Adrian's magic at the same time. My mom, who had followed us, watched from a spot near the door. Once Ms. Terwilliger was sure I knew what I was doing she turned to leave.

My mom lingered for a moment, watching me. "Are you two sure you know how to do this?" she asked.

I looked at all of the ingredients in front of me and then glanced up at Adrian who was sitting beside me at the counter. He gave me a reassuring smile and reached out to take my hand in his. As our fingers intertwined I looked back up at my mom with confidence.

"Yeah. We've got this."

She smiled at us and nodded before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Once she was gone Adrian, still smiling, asked, "_Do_ we have this?"

I released his hand and rolled my eyes. "Yes. Now shut up and let me concentrate."

It didn't take nearly as long as last time for me to get the spell to work, even with the addition of Adrian's magic. As I concentrated on Carly and seeing her in that silver tray of water, pink from a small drop of my—_our_—blood, I simultaneously opened myself up to Adrian's magic and funneled it right into the spell. It wasn't that hard at all, but I could tell that it was definitely zapping my energy. Before long I saw an image in the water. A picture of a stucco building in a run down suburban area outside of Los Angeles.

"I found her! I know where they are!" I shouted excitedly as the vision faded. I felt myself shift too far back on the stool as I sat up straight and I would have fallen right off the back if one of Adrian's arms hadn't been around my waist already, steadying me. I wondered how long he'd been sitting with me like that, touching me without my knowing it. I didn't think I'd ever not know when Adrian was touching me, considering the way his touch usually sent shockwaves down my spine.

"Easy there," Adrian muttered, holding tight to me as he helped me off the stool. Together we walked into the living room where everyone was still gathered. They stopped talking when they noticed us walking in, Adrian's arms around me, holding me up.

Ms. Terwilliger gestured us over to the kitchen table that already contained a plate of crackers and a glass of orange juice. "Using your magic took a lot out of her," she said as I drank half the orange juice in one gulp. "She'll be right as rain by tomorrow. Don't worry."

"But you found her?" Marcus asked coming to sit beside me at the table. I looked up and everyone was looking at me, waiting.

"She's outside of Los Angeles," I said, and rattled off the address I'd seen on the outside of the stucco building, realizing that that was what they were all waiting for.

"I know where that is," Marcus said with nod. "It's pretty much abandoned out there, so we won't have to worry about anyone spotting us and calling the cops."

"So that's it then?" Jill asked. "We have the plan and the location. And we're good to go?"

I swallowed the remainder of my orange juice and nodded. "We're good to go."


	23. Chapter 23

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

The next day started off with a bang. Or, more precisely, a very heated argument between Eddie and Jill. I couldn't say I didn't see his point, but I also saw hers.

"I'm going, Eddie," she said in the voice of a princess. She'd been a princess for so short a time, I wondered where she'd learned that voice or when she'd had time to perfect it. "And that's final."

"That's not final, that's ridiculous," he hissed back. His cheeks were red with frustration. "We're here because we're supposed to be protecting you! Not letting you run off to get killed by some rogue witches!"

"Shhh," I quieted them. We were in the middle of West Cafeteria eating breakfast, surrounded by plenty of humans who had no idea that vampires and witches and secret groups pledged to protect them even existed. They didn't need to find out just because Eddie and Jill were being stubborn.

They lowered their voices, but the hissed argument kept up until Angeline dropped her half eaten breakfast sandwich onto her plate with a sigh. "Eddie, if she wants to go, let her go," she said, sounding more than a little annoyed. "Jill can help, not to mention if she doesn't go than one of us has to stay behind with her, which means two less people in the fight."

Eddie looked back and forth between the three of us for a few moments, looking like he was trying really hard to come up with a reasonable argument. When it was obvious he had nothing he exhaled and shook his head. I felt a little bad for him, he'd been bested at logic by Angeline. I sent her a grateful smile, silently thanking her for putting an end to the fight.

Eddie turned to Jill and whispered, "I have no idea what to expect tonight. I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt again."

Angeline and I sent each other wide-eyed "this is it, this is it" looks as we watched Jill and Eddie fade into their own world. She stared up at him with a small, understanding smile and, for a moment, I was reminded of Adrian. The way he always understood my worries and fears and tried to help me through them. I hoped that Jill and Eddie could be that person for each other.

Jill put a hand on top of Eddie's for a few seconds and said, "I get it. I really do, but I need to help you guys. Like you said, we have no idea what to expect. If anything happened to any of you and I wasn't there..." She shook her head and then looked back at him seriously before patting his hand once. "You trained me," she said matter-of-factly. "You know my abilities. If you don't think I can handle this than I'll stay here."

Eddie, instead of looking happy to have gotten his way, looked even more frustrated, if possible. He stared into her jade green eyes for a long time before chewing his lip and saying, "You can handle it." Jill looked overjoyed, but Eddie continued speaking in a stern voice. "You stay by me and do whatever I tell you. So if I tell you to run, you run. You hear me?"

Jill tucked her glee away and nodded solemnly. "Whatever you say. I promise."

Once Eddie'd given in, Jill was ecstatic as we went up to our rooms to prepare for our mission tonight. I wasn't sure if it was because she could go, or because she and Eddie had most definitely just shared a moment.

Around lunch Eddie, Angeline, Jill and I all piled in Latte and headed over to Ms. Terwilliger's to go over our strategy one last time. Eddie and Marcus argued over a few last minute changes in plan, but nothing huge. It was mostly about who of the six of them that would be staying outside would go where and do what.

"I'm going with Sydney," Adrian said over the two as they argued over the plan.

Marcus and Eddie looked up at him like he'd just uttered the craziest sentence they'd ever heard. They both started to open their mouths in protest, but Adrian cut them off.

"I'm useless out there with you guys," he said rationally. "My only strength is compulsion and there's no way I'll get close enough to anyone to use that outside in open combat. If I'm inside with Sydney I might be able to do some good."

Honestly, I kind of wanted him inside with me. Not only would I be able to keep an eye on him, but I also just felt stronger when he was around. And not because Ms. Terwilliger had taught me how to tap into his magic, either. He just made me feel like I was powerful, made me feel more confident in myself. And right now I could use a confidence boost. I was feeling pretty nervous about all of this, but mostly about seeing Carly. I kept thinking back to the way she'd looked at me the last time I'd seen her. I didn't know if I was ready for her to look at me like that again.

After some consideration Marcus and Eddie realized that Adrian was right. He wouldn't be able to help outside so they reassigned him to the search and rescue mission with me and Ms. Terwilliger.

After going over everything a few more times and double checking all of the supplies we were bring with us, we piled into the cars and set out for L.A. Adrian offered to ride with Ms. Terwilliger and Marcus, letting my mom ride in Latte with me, but Mom had refused. She claimed she wanted to get to know my teacher a little better. I was afraid of just what that meant for me, but I was grateful that Adrian was able to ride with me. I held his hand tightly for most of the drive.

###

Genevieve's compound looked an awful lot like an abandoned office building in the daylight. There wasn't anything intimidating about, but I still got the chills just thinking about what was to come. It was that nervous anticipation that had me doubting the plan.

"What if we do all of this, what if we stop Genevieve, and Carly still wants nothing to do with me?" I whispered quietly to Adrian as we stood on the roof of a motel a few blocks away, watching the compound through a pair of binoculars. It was visible, but as long as we didn't draw attention to ourselves no one on the ground would notice us.

"She's your sister," he said. "She loves you, even if she's upset or confused right now."

Marcus, who was the one actually manning the binoculars, thankfully pretended not to hear our hushed conversation. He readjusted the focus and leaned forward a little.

"Yeah, but..." I whispered back at Adrian.

"No buts, Sage. This will work. And once Carly knows what Genevieve's really up to I doubt she'll still want to be her protege. I know that I don't know her the way that you do, but I saw her aura. She's a good person. Auras don't lie." He smirked. "I mean, just look at yours. It told me you loved me long before you actually said it."

I rolled my eyes and started respond, but Marcus cut me off.

"Don't mean to interrupt your little moment," he said sarcastically, "but there's a patrol. They do a casual sweep of the compound every twenty minutes, like clockwork. Two guys, same guys every time, walking the fence."

Adrian nodded, but then scrunched his face. "And that means what for us?"

Marcus sighed. "Were you listening to the plan at all? It means that we have to time our intrusion. You three are going in first so you'll already be inside when we blow off the fireworks."

The fireworks had been Marcus's plan, but everyone liked it. Especially Adrian, but not because it was a great distraction. He liked the plan because he wanted to play with the explosives. Luckily he wasn't going to get the chance to blow his hand off because he was coming with me.

"I got their timing. They don't seem to pay much attention to the fence that backs up to the alley. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to slip in through the gate there," Marcus said. "We'll just have to keep watch and make sure they don't change patrolmen in the next two hours."

Good thing for us, they didn't change the guards. When Adrian, Ms. Terwilliger and I hopped the chain link fence and cautiously made our way towards the compound door, we did so without being noticed by any guards. Although, I was worried for a few seconds as Ms. Terwilliger hauled herself up the chain link. But she was surprisingly spry for someone her age and got over it without much hassle.

Adrian led the way toward the building, using his enhanced Moroi hearing and night vision to guide us safely through the piled up boxes and crates that lined the chain link fence. None of the boxes were labeled, but I had a feeling that this was Genevieve's attempt at building an arsenal. A witch arsenal. I could only imagine the different dried herbs or charms that filled the palettes of crates and what this coven planned to do with them.

The first door we came to was locked, but a little Alchemist Quicksilver to burn through the handle and we were in. Both Adrian and Ms. Terwilliger looked impressed when the chemical reaction burned a hole right through the knob.

We went inside and found the first storage closet we could find to hide in. Not even ten seconds after we closed the door behind us we heard the unmistakable boom of fireworks from outside. Then came the confused mutters and the shuffling of feet, before the shuffles became all out stomping as what sounded like a heard of witches ran through the halls towards the sound of fireworks being set off outside their compound.

We made our way through the halls quickly after everyone had passed, following Adrian. I'd managed to find a blueprint of the building online and figured where the most likely places Genevieve would be. It wasn't until we'd come to a large room that had been marked as a cafeteria on the blueprint that we ran into trouble.

A man was just exiting the cafeteria doors looking like he had a purpose when he spotted us turning the corner right in front of him. The man's eyes went wide when he saw us and I saw him preparing to shout something, whether it was a warning to the others or some sort of incantation, I wasn't sure. He didn't get the chance though because Adrian rushed forward moving faster than a human ever could and gripped the man's forearm.

As Adrian stared the man's dark eyes went wide and unfocused. "You didn't see us," Adrian commanded in an even voice. "You didn't see anyone. Go outside and tell everyone Genevieve told you all to stay out there. The danger's outside, not in here."

He let the man go, but then grabbed him back as something else occurred to him. "And no one is to hurt the attackers. Genevieve wants them all alive."

The man made a nodding motion with his head and then turned and left, looking like Genevieve really had just instructed him to do the things Adrian said.

When Adrian turned back around Ms. Terwilliger was smiling at him. "Oh, you're good," she said, sounding amused and proud, which caused Adrian to beam at her.

"I know," he said arrogantly, before a serious expression took over once again and he grabbed my arm and hauled me down to the door the man had come from.

"There are people in there," he whispered as we prepared to barge in. Ms. Terwilliger and I nodded. Adrian silently counted to three before pushing the door open.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the room beside Adrian was the tall, black haired woman standing in the middle of what had obviously been a cafeteria. The circular dining tables I pictured once littering the area were nowhere to be seen, but more pallets full of crates were pushed against the walls. Ms. Terwilliger stepped in front of me, positioning herself between me and the woman who I realized must be Genevieve. It was then that I noticed that the dark haired woman wasn't alone. Standing a little behind her was my sister, looking shocked to see me.

"Oh, you must be Sydney Sage," Genevieve said slowly, giving me and appraising look. If she was surprised to see us, she didn't show it. "I can see the family resemblance. Carly and I were just planning a trip out to Palm Springs to visit you, weren't we, Carly?" She flicked red fingernails in Carly's direction, but my sister didn't respond. Instead she just crossed her arms over her chest and sneered in my direction.

I felt my heart break at the look. It was exactly the look I'd feared she'd give me. Carly's hatred of me seemed to amuse Genevieve though, because with a smile she turned back to me took in my reaction. I straightened my shoulders and looked to Carly.

"Can we talk?" I asked calmly. "I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes in private."

"No," Genevieve said immediately, but her voice still held that phony friendliness.

"Gene, give it up," Ms. Terwilliger said. Even though she was standing in front of me and I couldn't see her face, I could tell from her tone that she was rolling her eyes.

"Jaclyn, you've never had any imagination, have you?" Genevieve spit, clearly done with the friendly act. "No drive. You're perfectly content to be some drab high school teacher for the rest if your life." She took a step forward, but Ms. Terwilliger didn't back up. "Well, I'm not! Why should I be content to live a normal life when I was born to achieve so much more?"

Adrian shifted closer to me as Genevieve moved closer Ms. Terwilliger, but other than that we both just stared as the two sisters argued.

"Do you understand?" Genevieve was going on. "Do you have any idea what kind of power I can achieve? Look at me!" She gestured to her face and body. "I've stopped my aging all together. I've gotten in with all the right people. I can do this Jackie! I can overthrow their stupid crown and take it all for us!"

She waved her blood red nails toward Adrian when she spoke about "their stupid crown" so I assumed she was speaking of the Moroi Queen. Adrian looked more serious than I'd ever seen him, probably because the Queen was a close friend of his, but he didn't say anything. Just listened intently.

"And then what?" Ms. Terwilliger asked calmly. "You'll make yourself immortal?"

Genevieve rolled her eyes. "If all I wanted was immortality I'd have figured out a way to bargain with a Strigoi a long time ago," she said and I felt sick. Sick that anyone could think destroying your soul was a viable option.

"How can you talk like that?" I asked. I didn't mean to, but I blurted it out before I could stop myself. "How could you ever want to be Strigoi?" I asked Genevieve with a meaningful glance at my sister. She caught my eye for a second before looking toward her mentor.

"I don't want to be Strigoi, little girl!" Genevieve said, sounding insulted. "I want to own them. They are mindless, foul creatures, but they are strong in numbers. Unstoppable. They will help me gain my power."

"And what's to stop them from ripping your throat out instead?" asked Adrian. He stood tall next to me, his arms crossed across his chest.

Genevieve smiled at him. "They wouldn't want to eat me, darling. Trust me, they couldn't stomach the taste of me. And I make sure every one I deal with knows it." Then she set her gaze on me and gestured back to Adrian. "The vampire boyfriend. So cute. I might even let you keep him when this is all over. If you promise to share," she added with a wink.

"When this is all over you'll be flat on your back, sister," Ms. Terwilliger said, sounding like she'd finally had enough.

Genevieve shook her head but didn't bother with a retort. She just shot an arm out and threw a wall of power out towards me and Adrian, knocking us over.

We struggled to stand as Ms. Terwilliger countered with one of the more intricate defense spells she'd demonstrated for me. She'd never actually shown me how to do it. I wasn't strong enough yet. Seeing them throw attacks back and forth at each other I realized I had no leg to stand on in this fight.

Adrian pulled me back as a particularly nasty spell sent a bolt of electricity zinging toward me. I looked up to see Genevieve maneuvering in a circle around Ms. Terwilliger, trying to gain ground and trip her up. I prayed my history teacher was good enough to keep her defenses up.

Watching for a few more moments I quickly decided that even my most brutal attack wouldn't do much to this woman. It would be like a bee sting to her. I let myself reach out and feel for her power and was amazed by what I felt. Genevieve was powerful. Extremely powerful. The most powerful magic I'd ever felt was Adrian's spirit darkness, but even that didn't compare to what she had stored up around her.

Another bolt of electricity shot through the room and I heard Carly yelp as she jumped back just in time. The bolt buzzed in front of her face, illuminating her terrified expression.

The only thing I could focus on was my sister. She looked scared to death and, whether she hated me or not, she needed me right now. I took off towards the other side of the room where she was slowly backing into a corner away from all the fighting. I barely got three feet before I heard the worst sound I'd ever heard in my life.

A pained cry shot through the room. There was a thud and the silence. No more yelling, chanted incantations or crackling electricity. The room went dead silent and I stopped moving to look over to where the sisters had been having their showdown.

I stared at the crumpled body on the ground in horror before looking up at the smug face of my history teacher's sister. "Did you kill her?" I asked softly. My voice wasn't calm, by any means, but it was steady and that was all I cared about.

Adrian rushed over toward Ms. Terwilliger without hesitation. And, for once, I was grateful for his ability to heal. His magic didn't scare me at all anymore. How could I have ever thought something as incredible as healing could be evil?

No, true evil was the woman walking toward me. The woman who shrugged at my question about her sister, as if her life meant nothing to her. I squared my shoulders and stood tall to face her.

"Sydney, I will give you one last chance," she said, the fake friendliness trying to seep back into her voice but failing. "Join me and I'll let you live. I'll let your boyfriend live. And all of the little friends you've got outside distracting my coven. Refuse to join me and I will kill all of you. And your sister." She gave me smug smirk, but I just glared back at her. "You know, there are ways for me to drain your power after you're dead. I don't need to keep you alive to take what I'm after, but I'm willing to. I want you on my team, join me."

I looked over toward Adrian who was healing Ms. Terwilliger. Or looked like he was trying to. He was focused on what he was doing and didn't look over at me, but I didn't need him to in order to know what he'd say to this psychopath.

"No," I said coldly looking back at Genevieve. There was no doubt in my voice. There was nothing for her to bargain with and she knew it. I gathered all the power I could to me, waiting for her to attack me. She would try to kill me now, and she might succeed, but I wasn't giving in. I wouldn't give in to anyone ever again. Not the Alchemists, not my father, and certainly not some crazy power hungry freak who was threatening everyone I loved.

Genevieve scowled but then shrugged. "So be it," she said and then muttered an incantation I couldn't make out. I threw out a pulse of power at the exact moment she hurled one of those horrible electric bolts at me and thankfully it deflected it.

"Sydney!" Adrian screamed, horrified as he watched the electric currents zap and smash into the barrier I'd sent out. I looked over at him and suddenly knew that, even though I wasn't strong enough to beat Genevieve on my own, I might stand a chance with his help.

As Genevieve rolled her eyes and berated my weak attempt at blocking her spell I, once again, pulled all of the power I could to me. Only this time I reached out farther. I had only ever siphoned Adrian's magic from close range, but I prayed it would still work even though he was a good thirty feet away at the moment.

"Sydney! Watch out!" he yelled again and then I saw his eyes go wide as he realized what I was doing. It was working and we could both feel it.

Just as Genevieve threw another bolt at me I dove to the ground the way I'd seen Eddie instruct Jill and Angeline to do multiple times. It was just as difficult as it looked, but I dodged her spell and got back on my feet quickly. Without pause I recited one of the more difficult attack spells Ms. Terwilliger had taught me. I felt the air charge around me before it rushed toward Genevieve in a flurry of positive and negative particles. I couldn't see it, but I definitely knew when it met its target. The net of electricity wrapped around Genevieve, causing her to twitch liked she'd just been electrocuted.

I was feeling proud of myself until she stopped twitching suddenly and her lips pulled back from her lips like a wolf. It tried to pull more of Adrian's magic to me, but it was no use. She flicked a wrist in Adrian's direction and he cried out as an invisible force rammed into him so hard he flew back a few feet from where he'd been standing.

"You little bitch!" Genevieve growled at me. "You think you can hurt me? You'll need a lot more than your vampire's power to hurt me."

She pulled her hand back and made a small gesture with her fingers while quietly repeating a phrase in Latin to herself. "_Mori ferreo canis exprimamus mori_."

I felt the air shift around me, felt the power brewing with her words. I was feeling weak and dizzy from the last spell, but I still managed to stay upright and pull some power to me. I was beyond reaching for Adrian's spirit at this point. I already knew my own power wouldn't stand against whatever spell she was about to unleash on me, but I had to try.

"Sage!" he shouted, getting to his feet and trying to get to me.

"Adrian, go!" I shouted, but I didn't take my eyes off of Genevieve. I was too busy bracing myself for all kinds of misery.

"_Mori ferreo canis..._" she shouted and I watched in slow motion as she started to lift her arm in my direction. "..._exprimamus_—"

I flinched back as a loud crack filled the room, but nothing happened. No death, no misery, no pain. Not to me, at least. I watched with wide eyes as Genevieve stopped chanting mid-rant and fell face first onto the concrete floor. Carly, her brown eyes narrowed at the woman on the floor, just stop there. A sturdy looking two by four that she must have broken off a palette clutched in her hands and raised above her head. She glared down at the woman she'd just knocked unconscious and said, "No one calls my sister a bitch."

She glanced up at me, at my shocked expression and open mouth, and dropped the wooden board. "Sydney!" she cried and ran over to me. "Are you alright?"

I reached for her, pulling her into a crushing hug. "I'm fine. Are you okay?" I asked, stroking her hair.

"I'm good," she said. "But we've got to get out if here before she comes to."

"No. This ends here." I glanced over to Adrian who nodded at me and went back to healing Ms. Terwilliger. It only took a few moments before she was opening her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked Adrian as he helped her sit up. Whatever her injuries had been, she looked good as new now.

"Carly knocked Genevieve unconscious," I told her, pointing to her sister's body face down on the floor.

Ms. Terwilliger looked surprised, but stood up and ordered us to find some rope. "We'll tie her up and take her with us."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Adrian asked. "Won't she just break free when she wakes up? She's pretty strong from the looks of things," he said, gesturing around at the wreckage from the fight.

"I'll charm her. She'll stay unconscious for awhile," Ms. Terwilliger assured us. "Her coven will most likely dissipate once they realize she's gone. Call your friends and let them know we're on our way out."

Adrian texted Eddie as Carly and I helped Ms. Terwilliger tie up her sister. It took a lot of effort, but we finally managed to get Genevieve's unconscious body outside and through the fence—with the help of some of the alchemist chemicals I had on me. We got her to the meeting spot and into Ms. Terwilliger's car without a problem.

"So, nice swing," Adrian said, leaning back against Latte next to me and Carly.

She smiled a little. "Thanks. Turns out I really suck at all that witch stuff so I figured a swift blow to the head would probably be more effective."

I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "Thank you. For stopping her. I know you're mad at me because I didn't tell you the truth, but—"

Carly shook her head and stopped me. "I'm not made at you, Sydney. I was never mad at you. None of this is your fault."

"But then, why'd you get so angry when we were at that warehouse...?" I asked, utterly confused.

"That crazy bitch kidnapped me on my way home," Carly said. "She told me I was a witch and that my whole family was lying to me and that I had this... birth right that everyone was denying me. I thought she was just crazy until she showed me a few spells. But then she started talking about you and how we needed you for the cause." She rolled her eyes at me. "She sent me to the warehouse to get you and bring you back for her. Did you really think I was going to drag you into that?" she asked.

"So..." I asked, willing my brain to connect all of the pieces. "You were just pretending to be brainwashed by her? To... what? Protect me?"

Carly nodded. "She believed my act even more when I came back and Boris and the idiot told her how me and you had gotten into it at the warehouse."

"Boris and the idiot," Adrian snickered under his breath.

"But why didn't you just come with us then?" I asked. "We could've gotten you away from them then."

She shook her head. "I had only gotten a few details at that point. When I went back and told her how you didn't understand what we were fighting for and blah, blah, blah, she let me in on more of her plan." Carly turned her whole body to face me and Adrian. "Do you know she made a deal with a large group of Strigoi? She was going to attack the Moroi Court. They just finished planning it all out last week. It's lucky you came tonight," she said. "If you'd come last week their would've been about forty more witches and six Strigoi to get through."

Ms. Terwilliger finally walked over to us. "She had more witches than I thought. I doubt any of them will go through with the plan now that Gene's out of the picture, but you might want to alert your Court to be on the lookout," she said to Adrian.

He nodded and said he'd get in touch with the queen herself. Then he turned back to Carly. "Well, your act was pretty believable. You should be a spy. Or an actress."

Carly laughed, but it sounded a little nervous. "Yeah. I've actually been thinking about that."

"Being a spy?" I laughed.

"No. Acting," Carly said. "I changed my major from Literature to Drama two semesters ago."

I shook my head. "But you didn't say..."

"How could I?" she said. "Dad would kill me if he ever found out!"

"Well, I say stick with it," Adrian said with a smile. "I think you've found your calling."

A short time later Eddie and the others showed up. Eddie and Marcus were covered in dirt and what looked like ash, but they were otherwise unharmed.

"Mom!" Carly cried out in shock and launched herself at our mother as she, Angeline and Jill made their way to the cars. I felt a little bad about forgetting to tell her Mom was here.

My mom and Angeline looked fine, except for one nice bruise on Angeline's jaw. Jill, however, had a huge bloody cut down her forearm.

"Jailbait, what the hell happened?" Adrian asked in concern, rushing to her aid. He helped her into the backseat of Latte and set about healing her.

"It's no big deal," she insisted. She almost sounded embarrassed as she went on. "Really. It's nothing. I just... I fell is all. I'm fine."

"You fell?" Adrian asked, pulling back once her arm was healed.

She sighed. "Yes. I fell, okay? I tripped ducking away from one of those bastard's flaming bomb thingies they were throwing. I tripped over one of the pallets that were everywhere and fell into a wooden crate. It splintered and cut me. Can we move on now?"

Adrian nodded, and left her alone in the car. She wasn't alone for long though. As Adrian approached me, I saw Eddie slide into the backseat next to her and take her hand. He examined her healed arm, but didn't let to of her hand once he was done.

"Sydney?" Mom asked, walking up to me.

"I'm fine," I said before she could ask, but she didn't say a word. She just pulled me into a hug, a hug that became a group hug when Carly joined it. Adrian stood next to us, smiling while he watched us have our little Sage family reunion, before I reached back and pulled him in too.

"Come here, you're part of this too!" I told him as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and placed his other hand on my mom's back. I could practically feel his smile as my mom and sister welcomed him into the circle.

"So, you two _are_ dating?" Carly asked me as we finally pulled back.

I looked up at Adrian and then back to her. "Yeah. We're dating. Although," I said narrowing my eyes at Adrian. "We've only been on one real date. Unless we count this bizarre evening as a date."

Adrian smirked. "This is most definitely not a date, Sage. Honestly, the first date wasn't even me at the top of my game. Just wait until I start wooing you," he said with a wink.

My mom and sister smiled at him, but I laughed. "You weren't already wooing me?" I asked.

Adrian scoffed. "Of course not," he said. "I was letting you come to me. When I woo you, Sage, you'll know it."

I couldn't help the grin that broke out on my face then. And it remained there until we finally got in the cars and headed back to Palm Springs.

###

Ms. Terwilliger and Marcus took the unconscious Genevieve off to some place in New Mexico where they said they'd "take care of her". I wasn't sure what that meant, and I really didn't want to know. Ms. Terwilliger promised she wouldn't be back to hurt anyone I cared about and that was good enough for me.

My mom and Carly stayed in town for a few days before finally heading back to Utah. While they were here we hung out a little. Adrian even joined us a couple of times. And, true to his word, he did start trying to woo me, although it seemed like he was trying harder to woo Mom and Carly.

He swore that he was just trying to make a good impression and that the real wooing would start when he took me out on a real date this weekend, but in the meantime he wanted to take me for a ride in his Mustang. Of course, it didn't take much to convince me to accept the offer.

He drove and we talked as he took us out to a secluded spot in the desert. I bit my lip as I thought of how alone we were out here. Of all the things we could do.

My phone buzzed, cutting off that train of thought. I sighed and looked down to see Zoe's name flash across the caller ID. I answered it immediately.

"Hey, Sydney," my sister said shyly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "How are you? Are you alright? I heard you were training a lot with Dad and the Alchemists."

"Yeah," she said slowly, sounding unsure. "I have been, but I was talking to Mom and Carly earlier and they... They said some things."

Turned out Mom had finally had enough of the Alchemists. She told Dad that Zoe would never be an Alchemist and that was that. Apparently Zoe hadn't really wanted to quit at first, but once Mom showed her about magic, she didn't protest too much. We talked for awhile and she told me how magic scared her and I told her it scared me too at first, until I realized it was a part of me and nothing to be afraid of.

By the time we hung up Adrian had pulled the Mustang over and was watching me with a small smile.

"What?" I asked, stuffing my phone back into my pocket.

"Nothing," he said. "You're a really good sister. You're a really good everything. I love you."

I grinned at him. "Yeah? Prove it."

"Gladly," he said accepting my challenge. He leaned forward and kissed me once before climbing over the console and into the backseat. He patted the leather next to him. "It's more comfortable back here," he said in a singsongy voice.

I rolled my eyes but followed his lead and climbed, very carefully, into the backseat where Adrian immediately pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him.

We didn't talk again for awhile after that. When we finally did pull away for breath we were both wearing less clothing than we had been initially.

"We should stop," Adrian sighed against my shoulder as he played with my bra strap. "Or at least go back to my apartment where it's more comfortable."

"I don't know about that," I whispered into his ear in what I hoped was a seductive voice. "I'm pretty comfortable right here."

He moaned into the crook of my neck, letting me know I'd gotten my seduction voice right. "If we keep going you know what'll happen," he warned. "You really want to do that in the back of a car? I mean, if you do than I'm all for that but I just want to make sure that you're sure—"

"Adrian," I said, putting a finger to his lips to stop him. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm going to tell you right now, there isn't much I wouldn't do with you in the back of this car."

He watched me for a few seconds and I could've sworn that his cheeks flushed a little at my admission, but it was getting darker outside and I couldn't be sure. Then, suddenly, my back was on the leather and he was hovering above me.

"You're just after me for my car," he teased. His teeth playfully grazed my chin and neck as he kissed and nipped his way down to my chest. Then his head popped up. "Hey, you never named the car," he accused. "Last time we were out here you said you'd think of a name for it."

I had said that, but I hadn't actually thought of anything I liked. He didn't seem concerned though. He didn't even wait for my answer before he unclasped my bra and began kissing me again. As I squirmed around between him and the soft leather seat I realized this combination of him and the car were bound to get me in trouble sooner or later. It was impossible to say no to him, not that I wanted to.

"I thought of a name," I gasped out between kisses. "For the car."

Adrian pulled back just a little, but his hands never stopped in their slow path down my body.

"Troublemaker," I said, biting back a laugh as his fingers grazed my hip. The sensation tickled, and the last thing I needed was for Adrian to figure out I was ticklish there.

Adrian paused his ministrations to consider the name. Finally he nodded. "I like it. Troublemaker. It sounds like you," he said.

"It sounds like you," I argued.

"Oh yeah," Adrian said, his green eyes shining happily even in the dim light. "Who's the one who just seduced who in the back of a car?"

"That's not—" I started to say but then burst out laughing when Adrian tickled my hip again. I squirmed underneath him, gasping for breath between laughs, until finally he kissed me until neither of us was laughing anymore.

There were so many reasons why Adrian and I shouldn't have worked together. Him being Moroi, me being human. The Alchemists. Our personalities, on the outside at least. But deep down, in my heart, none of that made any difference. And even though I still wasn't sure if there was a such thing as soulmates, that was the best word I had to describe what Adrian meant to me. And I spent the rest of the night showing him, even though I got a lecture from Mrs. Weathers the next morning.

**So there it is. The End! Hope you enjoyed it. I debated having it end this way off leaving a cliffhanger, but figured it was better to give it a HEA and just start fresh after TIS. Speaking of which, it's out places now! I'll be downloading my copy later tonight! So excited! Thanks to everyone who read and supported this story. You guys are the best. And thanks to guest reviewer Random for naming Adrian's Mustang! Love it!**


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